Over 620,000 candidates who sat this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) are currently selecting their preferred second-cycle institutions under a newly introduced post-results selection policy.
The selection window, which opened earlier this week, is scheduled to close on Friday.
Under the revised policy introduced by the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service (GES), candidates are choosing their Senior High Schools (SHS) and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions after receiving their BECE results, rather than before sitting the examination as was done in previous years.
Eliminating Mismatches and Placement Chaos
Education authorities explained that the shift is designed to align student selections with their actual academic performance.
In previous years, students frequently selected top-tier institutions prior to writing the exams, resulting in severe oversubscription of Category A schools by candidates with uncompetitive grades. This mismatch routinely created placement bottlenecks, leading to long queues and chaotic scenes at national resolution centers or forcing families into self-placement.
By selecting schools after knowing their scores, candidates can make realistic choices that match their aggregates, ensuring a smoother automated placement process through the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS).
A total of 620,243 candidates—comprising 304,415 males and 315,828 females from 20,789 participating basic schools—are participating in the 2026/2027 placement cycle.
Updated CSSPS Selection Rules
Under the updated 2026 SHS/TVET School Selection Guide issued jointly by the Ministry of Education, the GES, and the Ghana TVET Service, candidates are required to select eight schools in order of preference.
The guidelines outline the following category caps and conditions:
Category A: Candidates may select a maximum of two schools.
Category B: Candidates may select up to three schools.
Category C: The remaining choices must be chosen from Category C institutions.
No Duplicate Choices: Candidates are strictly prohibited from selecting the same school more than once.
Residential Options: Candidates can choose a maximum of five boarding options and three day options, with day choices recommended to be within reasonable commuting distance from home.
Placement Factors Beyond Aggregate Scores
The Ghana Education Service clarified that while academic scores are critical, placement under the CSSPS is not determined by aggregate alone. Automatic placement accounts for a combination of:
Candidate aggregate score.
Selected programme of study.
Boarding or day status preference.
Real-time vacancy availability in the chosen institutions.
"Your aggregate is important, but it is not the only factor," the GES guidance notes, advising candidates and guardians to rank their choices carefully with their most preferred institution listed first.
Upon completion of the selection process, successful candidates will be issued placement slips detailing their assigned school, programme, residential status, and reporting date to present during school registration.
