GES Announces July 20 Start for 2026 BECE School Selection Amid Major SHS System Reforms

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has officially scheduled the school selection period for candidates of the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) to run from July 20 to August 7, 2026. This announcement follows the successful completion of the examination, which took place from May 4 to May 11, 2026, and saw the participation of 620,141 candidates across the country. To ensure a smooth process, regional directors of education will undergo a specialized training exercise on the 2026 selection guidelines from July 15 to July 29, 2026. The GES has offered strong assurances that all qualified candidates will be successfully placed in second-cycle institutions, aiming to dispel public concerns regarding student placement bottlenecks.

This year's selection process introduces significant changes designed to give students more flexibility and better outcomes. Under the new guidelines, candidates will select a total of eight senior high schools, an increase from the previous requirement of seven. Notably, students are now required to choose two Category 'A' schools—one of which must be a boarding option and the other a day school. In a departure from previous years, the 2026 cycle allows candidates to assess their own academic performance before making their final school selections, a move intended to help students make more realistic choices based on their examination results.

Parallel to the placement preparations, the Ghana Education Service is making significant strides in reforming the Senior High School (SHS) calendar. In the Ashanti Region, 59 schools have successfully transitioned from the double-track system to a single-track model. Mr. Henry Osei Boateng, the Ashanti Regional Public Relations Officer for the GES, explained that remaining schools in the region have moved to a transitional system. This transitional approach differs from the original double-track model by allowing entire year groups to remain on campus simultaneously, rather than being divided into separate tracks that rotate throughout the year.

The complete phase-out of the double-track system remains a priority for the government, though it is contingent on addressing critical infrastructure and furniture deficits. The Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr. Frank Amoakohene, has requested an immediate audit of existing resource gaps to expedite the transition to a unified single-track system across all schools. As the nation prepares for the 2026 placement cycle, these structural improvements are expected to provide a more stable and predictable environment for the hundreds of thousands of students entering the secondary education tier.