GES asked to extend 2023 BECE students SHS/TVET reporting date

Teacher Unions have called on the Ghana Education Service (GES) to extend the reporting date for 2023 BECE graduates to be admitted into second-cycle schools as first-year Senior High School (SHS) students.

The union’s call comes after the management of the GES in a statement shared with Thisterm.com said the prospective students after the release of the school placement will report to school on December 4, 2023.

But, the Teachers in a letter to Director-General of GES, Dr Eric Nkansah said the date for the reporting of first-year students “appears not practicable because the placement and reopening dates are too close”.

“Asking form 1 students to report to school on December 4, 2023, only for them to go home again on 21 December 2023, for the Christmas holidays, will put “undue burden on students, staff, and parents,” it said.

The Unions indicated that the vacation period spanning from 21 December 2023 to 2 January 2024 “is too limited a time to offer staff members (both Teaching and non-Teaching) any meaningful rest”.

They therefore called on the management of the Ghana Education Service (GES) to “reconsider all these situations and effect changes to the December 4, 2023 reporting date for the 2023 BECE graduates.

The Unions are the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), the Coalition of Concerned Teachers-Ghana (CCT-GH), and the Teachers’ and Educational Workers’ Union (TEWU).

The management of the Education Service in the press statement said that out of the 598,839 results received from the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), 585,797 BECE candidates qualified to be placed.

“A total of 477,772 (81.56%) prospective students have automatically been placed in one of their choices. This is a significant improvement compared to last year’s, with over 100,000 more students placed.

However, 108,025 (18.44%) qualified candidates could not be matched with any of their choices. All such students are, therefore. to do Self-Placement to select from available schools. To access the placement platform,” it said in the release.

How to buy school placement card

1. Visit the Checker Cards website

2. Select the number of cards you want to buy.

3. Click on the “Buy Now” button.

4. Fill in the details by adding your First name, Last name, Phone number, and E-mail address.

5. Scroll down and click on “Proceed To Payment”.

6. Select “Pay with Mobile Money” and enter your MoMo number.

7. Click on “Confirm”.

8. Approve payment on your phone by entering your Mobile Money Pin.

How to check school placement

1. Visit the CSSPS portal

2. Click on check placement

3. Enter your Index number

4. Enter your 10 digit E-voucher pin and

5. Enter your 5-digit PIN code

6. Click on Proceed and wait a few minutes for the next window to display your school placement.

How to do self-placement

1. Visit the CSSPS portal

2. Then select the check placement module on the left-hand side

3. Enter your BECE Index Number (eg. 100000000023) and

4. Enter your 10 digit E-voucher pin and

5. Enter your 5-digit PIN code

6. Click on Proceed to be redirected to the self-placement module

When redirected successfully to the Self-placement module, you will be provided with a selection of schools to pick from based on the aggregate or grade you had in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

7. Choose carefully your desired second-cycle school

8. Choose your residential preference (Day/Boarding).

9. Select your program of choice

10. After doing all the necessary checks, confirm and print. Remember that once you have completed the selection process it can not be undone or changed