BECE candidates to begin SHS selection on 20 July
BECE candidates in Ghana will select their preferred SHSs and second-cycle schools from 20 July to 7 August as GES prepares for the 2026 CSSPS placement exercise.
Candidates preparing to sit this year's Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) will begin selecting their preferred Senior High Schools (SHSs) and other second-cycle institutions on 20 July, the Ghana Education Service (GES) has announced.
The nationwide school selection exercise will run until August 7 as part of preparations for the 2026 Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS), which places qualified candidates into senior high, technical and vocational schools across the country.
In a circular to regional education directors, the GES said the exercise was a key stage of the annual placement process and urged education officials to ensure candidates receive the necessary guidance before making their choices.
To support the exercise, the service will hold a nationwide training and sensitisation programme for Regional, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Directors of Education on the 2026 school selection guidelines and placement procedures.
The training will take place from 15 to 28 July at regional education offices across Ghana.
According to the GES, the programme is designed to strengthen oversight of the school selection process and ensure education managers have a clear understanding of the placement guidelines.
The circular, dated 6 July and signed by Prince C. Agyemang-Duah, Director of the Schools and Instructions Division (Secondary), on behalf of the Director-General of the GES, said the training would provide officials with the knowledge needed to supervise the exercise effectively.
Regional directors have also been instructed to notify all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Directors of Education and ensure their full participation.
The CSSPS was introduced to make placement into second-cycle institutions more transparent by matching candidates to schools based on their examination performance, available vacancies and school choices.
Education officials say the training is expected to help reduce mistakes during school selection, improve guidance for candidates and parents, and ensure the placement guidelines are applied consistently across the country.