The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) is expected to release the results of the 2025 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in the coming days.
As anticipation builds among candidates and parents nationwide, there is a reminder that not all candidates will qualify for placement under the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme.
According to placement guidelines and precedent from previous years, five categories of candidates will be excluded from the Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS), regardless of the schools they selected during registration.
These candidates will not be placed in any public senior high school and will face a minimum one-year delay before reapplying.
The affected categories are as follows:
Candidates with Cancelled Results
WAEC may cancel the results of candidates found to have engaged in examination malpractice.
Such candidates will see the term “Cancelled” indicated against affected subjects or their entire results.
Cancellation renders the candidate ineligible for placement under the Free SHS programme.
WAEC has confirmed that over 1,400 candidates were invited to assist in post-examination investigations.
Final decisions will be based on the outcome of these reviews.
Candidates with Withheld Results
Candidates whose results are marked as “Withheld” are under ongoing investigation by WAEC.
These results will not be released until investigations are concluded.
If a candidate’s results remain withheld during the placement period, they will not be considered for admission into any public senior high school.
Candidates Who Scored Grade 9 in English Language or Mathematics
Although the Ministry of Education has not officially announced a cut-off point, candidates who obtain Grade 9 in either English Language or Mathematics—or both—will not be placed in any school.
These subjects are considered essential for progression to senior high school.
Such candidates will also be excluded from the self-placement option and will not benefit from Free SHS in the 2025 academic year.
Candidates Absent from Any Core Subject
Placement is determined using raw scores from four core subjects: English Language, Mathematics, Integrated Science, and Social Studies, along with the best two scores from the remaining subjects.
Candidates who were absent from any core subject will have incomplete data and cannot be placed.
Candidates Who Fail to Enroll After Placement
Candidates who are successfully placed but fail to enroll within the official registration period risk forfeiting their placement.
The Ministry of Education considers such placements void after the deadline, and affected students will not be admitted under the Free SHS programme.
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