GES releases ‘BECE 2023’ Senior High Schools selection guidelines

The Ghana Education Service as part of an effort to ensure smooth computer placement of students who sat for 2023 BECE has released Senior High Schools selection guidelines to assist the students in the selection of schools process.

After ending the 2023 BECE for School and Private Candidates on August 11, 2023, the Ghana Education Service says students who sat for the national examination will begin their Senior High Schools selection from August 23, 2023.

The selection of Senior High and Technical Schools by the 2023 Basic Education Certificate Examination candidates, the management of GES in a statement shared with AcademicWeek.com said will end on September 4, 2023.

“Parents and guardians are particularly advised to take a keen interest in the selection of schools processes to ensure a smooth placement this year,” the press statement signed by a spokeswoman for GES, Cassandra Twum Ampofo stated.

GES Senior High Schools selection guidelines

Candidates who wish to enter Senior High School or Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) schools must, with guidance from parents/guardians and school authorities:

a) Select Six (6) schools and rank them in order of preference with the 1^st being the most preferred choice.

b) Select programmes and residential status for each choice of school.

c) Select a compulsory day school as the 6th choice within 16km of the JHS attended or choose a boarding school from the list of schools in Appendix 3.

d) Select 5 schools (1 Category A, 2 Category B and at least 2 Category C) from Appendix “4” for a consideration of 2^nd placement if you miss out on all your initial six (6) choices.

Please note that BECE candidates:

a) Cannot choose more than one (1) School from Category A

b) Cannot select more than two (2) schools from Category B

c) May select five (5) schools from Category C and One (1) from Category D (Day) or Appendix 3 (Special Boarding).

d) Candidates who wish to offer purely TVET Programmes must select all six (6) TVET Institutes from CATEGORY A, B and C as Day or Boarding 

e) Lastly, candidates who wish to offer programme choice in relation to future job prospects such as Engineers, Physicians, Astronauts etc. must select STEM/Science in all their choices from Categories A, B & C as Day or Boarding.

A total of 600,714 candidates, comprising 300,323 males and 300,391 females from 18,993 Junior High Schools (JHSs0 sat for the 2023 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) which ended on Friday, August 11, 2023.

With regard to the 2023 BECE for Private Candidates, a total entry figure of 1,743 candidates was recorded. This is made up of 889 males and 854 females. This year’s figure is 5.4% higher than the entry figure of 1,132 for 2022.