BECE 2025: Candidates to Select 7 Schools Ahead of Exams Under New Guidelines

Accra, Ghana – The Ministry of Education, through the Free Senior High School (SHS) Secretariat, has reinstated the practice of school selection before the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) for 2025 candidates. This initiative, which had been suspended in recent years, is designed to streamline the placement process and encourage greater parental participation.Yen.com.gh - Ghana news.+3Adomonline.com+3MyJoyOnline+33News

Under the new guidelines, candidates are required to select seven schools in total—five main choices and two alternatives—in order of preference. Of the five main selections, at least three must be boarding schools, while the remaining two should be day schools. Candidates are permitted to choose Category B and C schools as either day or boarding options. However, they are restricted from selecting more than one Category A school and no more than two schools from Category B. While students may select schools from Category C, they are not allowed to choose all five main options from that category. Yen.com.gh - Ghana news.+4Adomonline.com+4MyJoyOnline+4

The selection exercise commenced on Tuesday, May 27, and will conclude on Friday, June 6, 2025. During this period, teams from the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Service and the Free SHS Secretariat will conduct nationwide sensitization activities to guide candidates, parents, and school authorities on the new selection procedures.

Sena Okity-Duah, Coordinator of the Free SHS Secretariat, emphasized the importance of parental involvement in the selection process. She stated that no selection form should be submitted without a parent's or guardian's signature, and parents are advised to keep a copy of the completed form for reference. 

Candidates interested in pursuing pure TVET programmes must select five institutions across Categories A, B, and C, either as day or boarding options. Similarly, students aspiring to careers in fields such as engineering, medicine, or space science are encouraged to select STEM-based schools across all categories.

The BECE is scheduled to take place from June 9 to 16, 2025. Once a candidate is placed in a selected school, that choice cannot be changed, underscoring the importance of careful and informed decision-making during the selection process.