News Guide Africa

Tag: Ghana Education Service

  • Private SHS placement comes with no extra fees – GES DG

    Private SHS placement comes with no extra fees – GES DG

    The Ghana Education Service (GES) has emphasised that students placed in the 70 selected private Senior High Schools and Technical Vocational Institutes will bear no extra fees or dues for the three years of their schooling.

    Professor Ernest Davis, Director-General of GES, explains that the selected private schools benefit from the free-SHS capitation grant which covers all the teacher, teaching and learning materials related costs of all students as well the school feeding.

    For the first time under the free-SHS scheme, 70 private second cycle institutions have been selected to receive students at no extra cost to the students. This falls in line with the NDC manifesto promise made by the current President John Mahama. The initiative will help absorb the burden on the overstretched public second cycle institutions while expanding access to quality secondary education for more students.

    The initiative is a pilot phase in collaboration with the Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS) as the Ministry of Education, GES, and GNACOPS are expected to coordinate capacity-building, training, and infrastructure support for the selected schools.

    “Students placed in the private schools do not need to pay any fees. All of them have been captured under the capitation grant including their feeding. So parents whose wards are eligible for self-placement can consider the private schools”, Prof Davis said while answering a question during a press briefing in Accra.

    The Ministry of Education last week announced the release of the 2025 school placements for candidates who sat for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

    Out of 603,328 students who wrote the exams, 590,309 qualified for placement into Senior High Schools (SHSs), Senior High Technical Schools (SHTSs), and Technical and Vocational Institutions (TVIs).

    According to the Ministry, 483,800 candidates, representing 82 percent, have been automatically placed, while 107,509 candidates will have to use the self-placement portal.

    Deputy Education Minister Dr. Clement Apaak explained that the high demand for top-tier schools meant some candidates could not be matched with their preferred choices. He encouraged affected students to use the self-placement system, which is now active.

    This year, the Ministry is piloting 70 private schools under the Free SHS Programme. Initially, only 21 were included during school selection, but all 70 are now accessible on the placement portal.

    In total, the placement exercise covers 724 public SHSs/SHTSs, 233 TVIs, and 70 private SHSs. Resolution centres have also been set up at district, regional, and national levels, with the GNAT Hall in Accra serving as the national centre.

    The Ministry reminded parents and guardians that placement is free and cautioned against making payments to individuals in exchange for placement.

    By Adnan Adams Mohammed

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • 2025 SHS Placement: Ministry of Education announces timelines as it assures improved process

    2025 SHS Placement: Ministry of Education announces timelines as it assures improved process

    Following the release of the 2025 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results, the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service have announced key timelines towards the 2025 Senior High Schools placement through the Computerised School Selection and Placement Secretariat (CSSPS). At a press briefing on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, the Director-General of Ghana Education Service Professor Ernest Davies, assured parents and qualified BECE candidates of fair and stress-free process in this year’s process. Empasising that, the process is going to be ‘strictly merit-based’ ensuring every student has the opportunity to pursue their educational goals without discrimination. He reiterated the fact that “the 2025 Placement will be determined by a candidate’s aggregate score from six subjects: the four core subjects (English, Mathematics, Integrated Science, and Social Studies) and the two best elective subjects. In the event of a tie, the system will use raw scores for a final ranking”. On the issue of “zero tolerance for Fraud”, Professor Davies, on behalf of the sector minister, Haruna Iddrisu emphasized that the 2025 placement exercise is strictly merit-based, and no payment is required for placement. ” The public is urged to be vigilant and report any individuals attempting to extort money under the guise of Ministry officials, GES, TVETs, CSSPS, or FSHS. All fraudulent activity should be reported immediately to security agencies”, he added. Regarding the roadmap and the Choice confirmation process to ensure accuracy, the secretariat has launched a choice confirmation process from August 27 to September 1, 2025. This process, he said, will allow candidates to verify their selections and correct any errors in their gender, school, or program choices, and “Candidates can confirm their choices on the official portal: www.cssps.gov.gh. An explainer video will also be made available to guide students and guardians through this process.”

    The full roadmap for the placement exercise is as follows:

    * August 23, 2025: BECE Results released

    * August 27 – September 1, 2025: Text confirmation of choices

    * September 15, 2025: Placement results published online

    * September 16, 2025: Call centers and resolution centers activated

    * October 18-20, 2025: First-year student reopening
    The Ministry is said to be ready for the placement process and asked candidates and the public to remain calm, “We are committed to making this a smooth and successful transition for all”. rileyjadeadams podcast  

     

  • Teacher’s bungalows rent payment; GES to engage teacher unions

    Teacher’s bungalows rent payment; GES to engage teacher unions

    The Ghana Education Service (GES) says there is nothing wrong with deducting 10 per cent of the salaries of teachers and staff of Senior High Schools (SHS) occupying government bungalows.

    It says, the move is part of the recommendations of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament and also to prevent audit queries from the Finance Ministry.

    The Western Regional branch of the GES had explained in a letter that the said 10% deduction forms part of the government’s efforts to streamline the anomalies with regard to the payment of rent for occupying schools or government bungalows.

    But the GES at the national level in a separate statement issued today, Wednesday, March 16, 2022, said it fully supports the directive.

    “Management of GES fully endorses the letter issued by its Western Regional Director and wishes to request all cost centre managers to be guided by the said Ministry of Finance’s circular as valid and enforceable.  This is necessary to avoid future queries and subsequent appearance before the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament on the subsequent.”

    “We wish to reiterate that it is not the GES which is imposing the rent or determining how much is to be paid but purely being guided by the Ministry of Finance’s circular and the admonitions of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament”, the statement said.

    Already, teacher unions have strongly condemned the directive arguing that the planned deduction is unfair to teachers, given the meagre salaries they receive for their services.

    The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) believes the move is needless, as the expected revenue from deductions will be minimal to support the government’s programmes.

    With these issues, GES however says the unions will be engaged.

    “Management of GES has taken note of the concerns raised by GNAT on behalf of the pre-tertiary education unions on this issue and will be meeting the leadership of the unions to discuss their concerns  in the coming days.”

    ‘We’ll fiercely resist the attempt to deduct rent from teachers’ salaries – GNAT

    The Ghana National Association of Teachers, GNAT, has also kicked against the plan by the Ghana Education Service (GES) to deduct 10% of teachers’ basic salaries for the occupation of public bungalows.

    According to the teacher union, the directive is against the spirit and letter of the Collective Agreement enacted between the Ghana Education Service and teacher unions in August 2020.