The Ministry of Education clarified that students who fail one or two core subjects in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) are not automatically excluded from progressing to senior high school.
Hashmin Mohammed, the ministry’s spokesperson, said there is no government policy requiring the removal of students from the placement system simply because they failed one or two subjects.
“We do not have a policy that says that if you fail one or two course subjects, you should be removed. We do not; such a policy does not exist,” he said.
Mohammed’s remarks come amid concerns over 55,000 students who failed to secure placement under the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) after the 2026 BECE results.
The system flagged those who failed one or two core subjects to enable the ministry to obtain data on their performance and inform education policy.
He stressed that being flagged by the system should not be interpreted as an automatic decision to deny the students placement in senior high school.
“We are saying that education, secondary education, is a right, but not a privilege. We need to give them a path,” Mohammed added.
According to the ministry, affected students have several options, including self‑placement into schools with available vacancies or participation in a remedial programme. Students and their parents may also choose to have the affected candidates re‑sit the examination.
The government is deliberately seeking to provide an alternative pathway rather than leave the affected students without an opportunity to continue their education. “We do not want to throw this group of students into the streets because its national security implications are going to be very, very high,” he said.
Mohammed added that the ministry intends to track the academic performance of students who progress through the alternative pathway, particularly in subjects they previously failed.
The clarification is expected to ease concerns among parents and candidates who had interpreted the large number of students flagged by the CSSPS as meaning they had been permanently denied admission to senior high school.
