After School Selection, 2026 BECE graduates start SHS1 on 18th September—GES

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has officially announced that the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) graduates are scheduled to begin their first year of Senior High School (SHS 1) on September 18, 2026.

This update was shared by the Director-General of the GES, Professor Ernest Kofi Davis, via a statement on the service’s official Facebook page and during a recent press briefing in Accra.

The announcement comes just as stakeholders prepare for the upcoming school selection phase and the release of the 2026 BECE results.

Key Timeline for 2026 SHS 1 Admissions

Following the conclusion of the BECE on May 11, education authorities have mapped out a clear transition window for students moving into secondary education.

“Our calculations suggest that we have 19 to 20 weeks to get the students to school because SHSs will reopen on September 18,” Professor Davis stated, confirming that the timeline provides adequate preparation time for parents, students, and school administrators.

Major Updates to the CSSPS School Selection Policy

To address recurring placement challenges and streamline the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS), the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the GES have introduced pivotal changes for the 2026 academic year.

The core modifications to the selection process include:

• Increased Total Choices: Candidates are now permitted to select eight (8) schools in total, an increase from the seven (7) choices allowed in previous years.
• New Category ‘A’ Rule: Under the new directive, students can select two schools from Category A. However, this is subject to strict conditions:
  • One (1) choice must be a Category A Boarding school.
  • One (1) choice must be a Category A Day school located within the specific district where the candidate sat for their BECE.
• Flexibility in Categories B and C: The revised guidelines build upon previous adjustments, offering candidates expanded flexibility when choosing institutions from Categories B and C.

Driving Smooth Placements and Reducing Errors

According to the Ministry of Education and the GES, these structural changes aim to eliminate the vulnerabilities of the previous system—which required five primary selections and two alternatives for second placement.

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By anchoring one Category A choice to the student’s local district as a day option, the ministry hopes to optimize the CSSPS algorithm, ensure smoother automated placements, and drastically minimize the need for manual self-placement interventions after the release of results.