A Kumasi parent says desperation over his daughter’s unresolved 2026 SHS placement led him to consider paying GH¢10,000, before he was allegedly asked for GH¢15,000. A separate report identifies St. Louis SHS as the school involved, but the alleged demand has not been independently confirmed.
A parent in Kumasi has alleged that he was asked to pay GH¢15,000 to secure a Senior High School placement for his daughter, who obtained an aggregate 9 in the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
The allegation emerged amid mounting frustration over Ghana’s 2026 Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS), with parents turning up at placement-resolution centres to resolve cases involving unplaced candidates and school assignments.
According to a September 11 report by JoyNews/MyJoyOnline, the father said he was prepared to pay GH¢10,000 to secure a placement for his daughter but was allegedly asked for GH¢15,000 instead.
What the parent alleged
The parent said his daughter scored aggregate 9 in the BECE but remained without an SHS placement.
He explained that the situation became increasingly frustrating as he searched for an alternative school after the initial placement option did not meet his daughter’s preference.
According to his account, he eventually sought assistance from someone he believed could help secure another placement. He said he was willing to pay GH¢10,000 but was allegedly told that the amount required would be GH¢15,000.
A separate report subsequently identified St. Louis Senior High School as the school the parent was allegedly seeking admission to.
However, GhanaMedia has not independently established that St. Louis SHS itself demanded GH¢15,000. The amount should therefore be attributed to the parent’s allegation rather than presented as an official school charge.
CSSPS under pressure
The allegation comes as Ghana’s 2026 SHS placement exercise faces significant pressure.
The Ghana News Agency reported that 527,932 out of 604,567 qualified candidates had been placed by September 7, representing 87.3 percent of candidates eligible for placement.
However, 76,635 qualified candidates had not been automatically placed, with high demand for Category A schools identified as a major factor.
The Ministry of Education said the challenge was not necessarily a shortage of places across the secondary-school system, but a mismatch between available vacancies and candidates’ preferred schools.
Candidates who were not automatically matched were advised to use the self-placement system and consider schools and programmes with available vacancies.
Government warns against unauthorised admissions
The Ministry has also introduced an upgraded CSSPS admission and enrolment portal intended to allow parents and guardians to complete parts of the process online.
According to the Ghana News Agency, Deputy Education Minister Dr Clement Apaak warned heads of schools not to admit or enrol students outside the CSSPS system.
The Ministry said unauthorised admissions could create discrepancies in student data and cause problems with government disbursements to schools. It also warned that sanctions could be imposed on heads who violate the directive.
Another allegation of political interference
The parent also told JoyNews that someone at the placement centre allegedly asked whether he was affiliated with the NDC and whether he possessed a party card.
He claimed the person suggested that an NDC card could have helped him obtain assistance with the placement.
The parent, however, said he did not want to politicise the matter and remained focused on finding a school for his daughter.
GhanaMedia has not independently verified this political-affiliation allegation.
A wider placement problem
The case comes amid broader complaints emerging from placement-resolution centres.
Parents have reported children remaining unplaced, students being assigned to schools they did not select and lengthy queues at resolution centres.
The Fourth Estate has previously investigated corruption risks within Ghana’s computerised school-placement system, including historical allegations of intermediaries demanding thousands of cedis to secure places in sought-after schools.
Those historical investigations, however, do not prove the current GH¢15,000 allegation.
GhanaMedia Verification
🟡 REPORT VERIFIED — SPECIFIC PAYMENT ALLEGATION UNPROVEN
GhanaMedia can verify that the underlying parent’s account is genuine and has been reported by JoyNews/MyJoyOnline, including the allegation that he was prepared to pay GH¢10,000 and was subsequently asked for GH¢15,000.
- GH¢15,000 has not been established as an official St. Louis SHS admission fee.
- GhanaMedia has found no official statement from St. Louis SHS confirming the alleged demand.
- The allegation that the payment was demanded specifically by the school should remain attributed to the parent.
- The separate political-affiliation allegation has also not been independently established.
Editorially, GhanaMedia should therefore use “alleges,” “claims” or “says” throughout the story rather than stating that St. Louis SHS demanded GH¢15,000 as a fact.
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