No automatic SHS admissions for BECE candidates
The free senior high school (SHS) policy does not mean that all Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates will be given automatic admission to SHSs and technical institutes.
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Candidates will have to work hard and pass the BECE to gain admission to their school of choice to enjoy the new policy, the National Coordinator of the Computerised Schools Selection and Placement System (CSSPS), Mr Kwasi Anokye, has said in an interview.
He was reacting to rumours among a section of Ghanaians that all BECE candidates are going to be placed in SHSs as a result of the free SHS education policy announced by the government.
“No, it is still going to be competitive. With regard to the free SHS, it will be free for everybody who qualifies for admission,” he assured.
He indicated that candidates would be placed according to the order of choices they made in terms of first, second, third and fourth schools of choice, adding that candidates would be placed in their school of choice depending on their performance.
At the 60th anniversary of the Okuapemman SHS at Akropong Akuapem in February this year, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said the government would begin the implementation of its flagship programme to provide free SHS education to fresh Ghanaian students from the beginning of the 2017/2018 academic year.
The free public SHS education, he said, was aimed at building an educated populace for speedy national development.
“By free SHS, we mean that in addition to tuition, which is already free, there will be no admission fees, no library fees, no science centre fees, no computer laboratory fees, no examination fees, no utility fees. There will be free textbooks, free boarding and free meals and day students will also get a meal at school for free,” the President added.
This year’s BECE will be written from Monday, June 5 to Friday, June 9, 2017.