Ahead of the 2025 BECE, the Ministry of Education (MoE) has released a new set of school selection guidelines to help deal with the bottlenecks of the current CSSPS system and increase chances of learners being placed into Free SHSs.

Per the details released by the Deputy Minister of Education, Hon. Apaak, the WAEC EXAM TIPS portal seeks to bring clarity to the details in this questions and answers post.

Madam Okity-Duah, the Coordinator of the Free SHS (FSHS) Secretariat, stressed the importance of parental involvement in the process, stating that no selection form should be submitted without a parent’s signature.

When will the 2025 BECE School selection process start and end? According to the MoE, the 2025 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) school selection process officially commenced on Tuesday, May 27, and will run until Friday, June 6. This means that candidates will select their schools before sitting the examination, which also starts on June 11, 2025.

Will the School selection start before BECE or after? The 2025 school selection process used to be done after the BECE since 2017; however, effective 2025, candidates’ school selection will be done ahead of the BECE. This means the school selection process will end before the BECE starts on June 11, 2025.

How many schools will candidates select in all? Candidates, with the help of parents and school authorities, will select a total of 7 schools. In 2024, candidates selected up to 11 schools, yet many learners were not placed in any of their choices. The government believes that choosing so many schools does not guarantee a placement but rather efficient systems and redistribution of candidates into available schools. “Under the revised system, candidates must select seven schools: five main choices and two alternatives in order of preference.”

READ: No Cut-Off Point for 2025 BECE School Placement?

How many day and boarding schools will 2025 BECE candidates select in the first 5 schools of the 7? Of the five main choices, at least three must be boarding schools, with the remaining two designated for day schools.

What are the strict guidelines for the selection of schools from the respective school categories? The guidelines also set strict limitations on school selection: – Candidates may not select more than one Category A school and no more than two from Category B. – While students may choose from Category C schools, they cannot select all five main choices from this category. Additionally, students interested in pure TVET programmes must select five institutions across Categories A, B, and C, with boarding or day options.

Those aspiring to careers in engineering, medicine, or space science are encouraged to consider STEM-based schools across all categories. To support candidates, parents, and school authorities in navigating these changes, teams from the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Service and the FSHS Secretariat will conduct nationwide sensitization exercises.

Tags: 2025 BECE school selection