SHS freshers to resume September 18 as GES dismisses placement concerns
Senior high and technical school freshers will begin the new academic year on September 18, 2026, the Ghana Education Service has confirmed, marking the second consecutive year that second cycle students have commenced their education under the reinstated September calendar.
The GES has assured all candidates who sat the Basic Education Certificate Examination that adequate arrangements are in place to receive them, stressing that every qualifying student will be placed in a senior high or technical school.
“Every effort has been made to ensure that each student has access to senior high/technical education,” a statement signed by GES Public Relations Head Daniel Fenyi said.
The Service moved to quash reports circulating in the media suggesting that approximately 72,000 students risked missing out on placement, describing the claims as speculative and disconnected from the facts on the ground.
It urged the public to disregard such reports entirely, affirming that infrastructure and facilities are sufficient to accommodate all qualified students.
On the ongoing phasing out of the double-track system, the GES said the transition would not compromise student access to second cycle education but would instead enhance the quality of teaching and learning across institutions.
2026/2027 Academic Calendar
Alongside the SHS announcement, the GES has released the full academic calendar for the 2026/2027 basic school year.
The first term opens on September 8, 2026, and closes on December 17, with a mid-term break on November 5 and 6. The second term runs from January 5 to March 25, 2027, followed by the third and final term from April 20 to July 22, 2027.
The 2027 BECE has been scheduled to take place from May 5 to May 12, 2027.
The September calendar represents a return to Ghana’s pre-COVID academic schedule, which was disrupted when schools were closed in March 2020.
Following a transitional January-to-December calendar operated in 2021 and 2022, the GES began restoring the original school year structure from October 2023.
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