SHS freshers to report on September 18 as GES assures placement for all qualified BECE candidates

Fresh students entering senior high and technical schools across the country will begin the 2026/2027 academic year on September 18, 2026, as the Ghana Education Service (GES) maintains the adjusted pre-tertiary academic calendar for a second consecutive year.

The GES has assured all candidates sitting for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) that adequate preparations have been made to admit qualified students into second cycle institutions nationwide.

According to a statement signed by the Head of the GES Public Relations Unit, Daniel Fenyi, every candidate who qualifies for placement into a senior high or technical school will be accommodated.

“Every effort has been made to ensure that each student has access to senior high/technical education,” the statement said.

The September reopening marks the second straight year that second cycle schools will officially begin the academic year in September following the post-COVID restoration of the traditional academic calendar.

The assurance from the GES follows media reports suggesting that about 72,000 students could miss placement into senior high schools.

The Service dismissed the reports as speculative and inaccurate.

“We therefore urge the public to disregard it. There are adequate infrastructure and facilities to accommodate all qualified students,” the statement stressed.

The GES also indicated that ongoing efforts to phase out the double-track system would not affect access to secondary education but would rather improve teaching and learning outcomes while maintaining full enrolment opportunities for students.

“The Ghana Education Service remains committed to equitable, inclusive and quality education for every Ghanaian child and calls on all stakeholders to support this shared national objective,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, the GES has released the approved academic calendar for the 2026/2027 school year for all basic schools, including kindergarten, primary and junior high schools.

According to the calendar, the first term will begin on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, and end on Thursday, December 17, 2026, with a two-day mid-term break scheduled for November 5 and 6.

The first-term vacation will run from December 18, 2026, to January 4, 2027.

The second term is expected to commence on Tuesday, January 5, 2027, and end on Thursday, March 25, 2027, while the vacation period will last from March 26 to April 19, 2027.

The third term will reopen on Tuesday, April 20, 2027, and close on Thursday, July 22, 2027, officially ending the academic year.

The GES further announced that the 2027 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) will take place from Wednesday, May 5, to Wednesday, May 12, 2027.

The Service reminded schools and stakeholders that all public holidays within the academic year would be observed accordingly, with each term also including a two-day mid-term break.

Ghana’s academic calendar was significantly disrupted following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, forcing schools to close as part of measures to contain the spread of the virus.

Between 2021 and 2022, the academic year was adjusted to run from January to December before the gradual return to the traditional September-based calendar began in October 2023.