BECE candidates who refuse school placement will not enjoy free SHS - GES

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has stated that Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates who do not accept the senior high schools (SHSs) they have been placed will not enjoy the free SHS programme.

The policy scheduled to start September 2017 was aimed at building an educated populace for speedy national development and progress.

Rev. Jonathan Bettey, Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Education Service (GES), said the government had made provision for candidates who would be placed in the schools of choice.

His comment comes at the back of the Education Minister, Matthew Opoku-Prempeh who has revealed that students who fail their BECE will not enjoy the policy.

Rev. Jonathan Bettey said "For instance, if the placement centre sends you to Kpando SHS and you decide not to go there despite provisions having been made for you in that school but you decide to go to another school, there is nothing for you."

He added that "wherever the placement centre puts you based on the choices you made is where you would be."

By free SHS, 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 get a meal at school for free.

He, therefore, advised candidates to accept the schools they would be placed in if they want to benefit from the free SHS policy since no one would be placed in a school he/she did not choose.