Senior high and technical school freshers are expected to report for the 2026 academic year on September 18, as the country continues its return to the traditional pre-tertiary school calendar for a second consecutive year.
With preparations underway nationwide, the Ghana Education Service (GES) says all qualified candidates who sat this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) will secure placement into second cycle institutions.
The assurance follows concerns raised by reports claiming that nearly 72,000 students could miss out on placement. The GES has dismissed those claims as inaccurate and misleading.
In a statement issued last Thursday and signed by the Head of the GES Public Relations Unit, Daniel Fenyi, the Service maintained that enough arrangements had been made to absorb all eligible students into senior high and technical schools across the country.
“Every effort has been made to ensure that each student has access to senior high/technical education,” the statement said.
According to the GES, available infrastructure and facilities are sufficient to accommodate all students who meet the requirements for admission.
“We, therefore, urge the public to disregard it.
“There are adequate infrastructure and facilities to accommodate all qualified students,” the statement said.
The Service further explained that ongoing plans to gradually phase out the double-track system would not limit access to secondary education. Instead, it said the policy direction is intended to strengthen teaching and learning conditions while maintaining universal access.
“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,” it added.
The September reopening marks another step in restoring the academic calendar disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Before the outbreak, schools traditionally reopened in September, but closures and adjustments forced the academic year to shift to a January-to-December cycle between 2021 and 2022.
The transition back to the old calendar began on October 3, 2023, and the 2026/2027 academic year continues that restoration process.
Meanwhile, the GES has also released the official academic calendar for kindergarten, primary and junior high schools for the 2026/2027 school year.
Per the schedule, the first term for basic schools will begin on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, and end on Thursday, December 17, 2026. A two-day mid-term break has been slated for November 5 and 6.
Vacation for the first term will run from December 18, 2026, to January 4, 2027.
The second term is expected to start on January 5, 2027, and close on March 25, 2027, with holidays scheduled from March 26 to April 19, 2027.
For the final term, schools will reopen on April 20, 2027, and close on July 22, 2027, bringing the academic year to an end.
The GES has also fixed the 2027 Basic Education Certificate Examination from Wednesday, May 5 to Wednesday, May 12, 2027.
Management further reminded schools and parents that all public holidays on the national calendar would be observed during the academic year, alongside the planned mid-term breaks for each term.
