GES gives date for 2026 BECE students second-cycle schools selection

The selection of second-cycle schools by students who sat for this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) will commence from Monday, July 20, 2026, to Friday, August 7, 2026, the Ghana Education Service (GES) management has announced.

The date for the Senior High Schools/ Senior High Technical Schools selection follows the Service invitation for all Regional and Metro/Municipal/District Directors of Education to attend a training and sensitisation exercise on the 2026 Selection Guidelines and Placement Procedures at your respective Regional Education Offices.

In a statement sighted by Pretertiary.com, the Ghana Education Service said the nationwide training and sensitisation exercise is scheduled for Wednesday, 15th July – Tuesday, 28th July, 2026.

“This training and sensitisation exercise is intended to provide deeper insight into the selection guidelines and enable you to offer effective oversight throughout the exercise,” it stated.

GES added that “Please note that the BECE candidates will start selecting their schools from Monday 20th July to Friday, 7th August, 2026.

You are kindly requested to communicate this information to all Metro/Municipal/District Directors of Education within your jurisdiction and ensure their full participation”

This year, BECE candidates are required to select eight schools — six main choices and two alternatives. The five main schools must be selected in order of preference, with three being boarding options and two as day schools.

According to the selection guidelines, students are to select two Category A schools (1 Day and 1 Boarding), two Category B schools (1 Day and 1 Boarding) and two Category C schools (1 Day and 1 Boarding).

The Alternative schools (Boarding only) are to be selected from Appendix “3” on the school selection register.

Candidates, parents, and guardians have been advised to follow the official school selection guidelines carefully.

Parents have been urged to select their wards’ schools strategically, taking into account programme choices, school category, location, and boarding/day status, as the choices they make will influence their placement opportunities.

Previously, students were made to select their schools before the release of the BECE results, but this year the Ministry of Education decided to begin the second-cycle school selection after the results of the BECE for School and Private results.

The Ministry of Education said the move for BECE students to select their preferred second-cycle schools only after their BECE results are released is part of an overhaul of the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS).

Speaking to journalists, the Minister of Education, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, explained that prospective candidates will be given a one-week window after the release of BECE results to make their school selections.

“In the past, students selected schools without knowing their aggregate, and that affected the placement system. This time, we will provide a mandatory period of one week after results are declared for students to confirm their choices based on their performance,” Mr Haruna Iddrisu said at a press conference.

He said the new policy will enhance fairness, reduce the challenges associated with the computer school placement system, and improve overall efficiency in the admission process into second-cycle schools.

Under the previous system, BECE candidates were required to select their second cycle schools (SHS/SHTS) before sitting for the Basic Education Certificate Examination, often without a clear understanding of their likely academic performance, which frequently led to mismatched placements and inefficiencies in the admission process.

In a related development, the National Council of Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA), following the reforms to the school selection process, has lauded the government for the new computerised school selection policy.

The General Secretary of the National Council of Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA), Gapson Kofi Raphael, in an interview, said the measures announced by the Education Minister signal that the government is responsive but cautioned that implementation will be key to restoring confidence in the system.

“I think that it shows clearly that the government is a listening government. We only hope and pray that we walk the talk more beyond the rhetoric,” the PTA General Secretary told JoyNews on April 2, 2026.

He said the new policy giving students a window after results to validate their choices could significantly reduce “anxiety, tension, frustration, and the psychological war” associated with the placement process.

“We all agree as a country that it is not solving the problems, instead compounding the situation and giving room for all forms of exploitation,” he said, describing the reform as “a step in the right direction.”

Meanwhile, the central government, through the Ministry of Education (MoE), last year reintroduced the practice of the selection of second-cycle schools before the commencement of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) for final-year Junior High School students.

The selection of second-cycle schools ahead of the Basic Education Certificate Examination policy was abandoned in recent years, as candidates were tasked to select their school of preference after their BECE examination.

The Deputy Minister of Education, Dr. Clement Apaak, announced the reversal as part of several reforms to improve school selection and placement during a briefing held at the Ministry of Education, urging parents and guardians to be involved in the school placement process, as head teachers and teachers have been barred from assisting candidates.

“Parents are encouraged to seek guidance from their child’s Junior High School (JHS) authorities when filling out the second cycle school forms.

It is crucial that parents take an active interest in this process, as the choices made will determine the senior high school their wards attend after completing basic education,” the Deputy Minister in Charge of Education said.

“Importantly, no headteacher or teacher is permitted to complete the second cycle school selection form on behalf of a student without the explicit consent of the parent or guardian

The secondary school selection form must be signed by the parent or guardian and submitted to the headteacher of the candidate’s Junior High School (JHS),” Dr Clement Apaak said at the launch of new school selection guidelines.

The Coordinator of the Free Senior High School Secretariat, Sena Okity-Duah, says the shift to second-cycle schools before the national examination is intended to avoid confusion and ensure candidates and parents take full responsibility for the schools selected.