GES extends school selection deadline as private SHSs join free SHS
By: Solomon Nartey Tetteh
The Ghana Education Service (GES) has extended the deadline for the 2025 school selection process to Wednesday, June 25, 2025, giving final-year Junior High School (JHS) students additional time to complete their choices. The extension follows a significant policy shift by the government to include selected private Senior High Schools (SHSs) in the Free SHS programme starting from the 2026/2027 academic year—a move aimed at expanding access to secondary education and easing overcrowding in public schools.
“This extension has become necessary due to the inclusion of private senior high schools in the selection process, allowing candidates additional time to make well-informed choices,” the statement noted.
In a statement, GES directed all Regional Directors of Education to communicate the revised deadline to Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Directors, and, in turn, to all final-year JHS students through their school heads.
“Regional directors, by this letter, are kindly requested to communicate this updated deadline to all metro, municipal, and district directors to bring it to the attention of final-year JHS students,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) is currently ongoing across the nation.The exam, which began on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, is expected to end on Wednesday, June 18, 2025.
GES also encouraged students to consult with teachers, parents, and guardians before finalising their selections, and assured that all existing guidelines and procedures remain unchanged—except for the newly updated school list, which now includes selected private SHSs.
