School reporting for first-year SHS students going smoothly – GES

The Ghana Education Service (GES) says the ongoing school reporting process for 2025 Junior High School graduates, now first-year Senior High School (SHS) students, is progressing smoothly across the country.

The Head of Public Relations at GES, Daniel Fenyi, said a three-day window — from Saturday, October 18 to Monday, October 20 — has been set aside for freshers to report to their respective second-cycle schools.

“We ourselves went round to do some monitoring and see how the freshers are being integrated into the new environment. Largely, the process was ongoing very smoothly in a lot of the places,” Fenyi said.

In an interview monitored by Pretertiary.com, the GES spokesperson acknowledged that while a few schools were overwhelmed by the number of students arriving on Saturday, the situation in most cases remained under control.

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) added that some schools had advised students and parents to report on Monday instead, in an effort to ease congestion and better manage the flow of arrivals.

The Ghana Education Service (GES) official encouraged parents who had not yet reported to ensure their wards arrive by Monday to benefit fully from orientation activities and early academic preparations.

“You wouldn’t want your child to miss the first week. If you are able to report by Monday, which is our ideal deadline, we wish that you are still able to do so. That way, your child won’t miss this important orientation exercise,” he explained.

Relatedly, the Ministry of Education has formally welcomed the approximately 590,000 first-year Senior High School students reporting to their respective second-cycle schools for the 2025/2026 academic year.

In a statement signed by Press Secretary to the Minister for Education, Hashmin Mohammed, the Ministry described this period as a significant milestone in the academic journey of the students and a new chapter in their educational pursuit.

In other news, the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) Secretariat has cautioned headteachers of Senior High Schools against rejecting students who have been officially placed in their schools.

The warning follows numerous complaints from parents that some schools had refused to admit their wards, claiming the students’ names were not on their admission lists, despite verification at the placement centre confirming their legitimacy.

In an interview, the Deputy Coordinator of the Free Senior High School Secretariat, Dr. Belinda Glover, expressed concern over the development, stressing that each placement corresponds to available spaces declared by the schools.

“Some parents come around saying they went to some schools and were turned away because their names were not on the list. Meanwhile, when they came here, their names were indeed on the list. So we are pleading with schools to stop. If a student is posted to your school, please assist them to register,” she said.

The Deputy Coordinator of the Free Senior High School Secretariat also dismissed claims circulating on social media that parents were not receiving assistance at the placement centre, describing them as false and misleading.

“We have been working hard to resolve all issues related to placements. I’ve seen reports suggesting parents are not being helped or that students are posted very far from home, but these are not true. When you come here, we address your challenges and make the necessary changes,” she emphasized.