Accra, April 4, GNA- The Ministry of Education, Science and Sports on Friday directed as a matter of policy that with effect from the 2008/2009 academic year, all qualified Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates must be placed in their chosen Senior High Schools before the beginning of the academic year to ensure uninterrupted academic work.

To that end, the Ghana Education Service (GES) in collaboration with the Consultant on Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) have put in place arrangements to enable the Consultant generate one Placement Report for one stop-shop placement of all qualified candidates for the 2008/2009 academic year. A statement signed by Mr. Sam Bannerman-Mensah, Director General, GES said all 2008 BECE candidates will be given the opportunity to make additional choice of two schools and programmes in order to increase their chances of placement. It said the exercise will be carried out from April 7 to April 12, 2008. The statement urged all Heads of Junior High Schools (JHS) to assist or guide their respective candidates in making informed choices from the given list of Senior High Schools and also prepare their candidates minds for the exercise.

All District Directors of Education and their District Examination Officers are to ensure that all schools participating in the 2008 BECE are informed and prepared adequately for the exercise, it said. The statement said Heads of participating JHS and their candidates are to note that the choices are additional to the choices already made during the Batch Registration for the 2008 BECE carried out by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) in November/December 2007. It also advised Heads of JHS, parents and candidates to cooperate with the GES officers in the national exercise, adding that it is the wish of the GES that all qualified candidates are placed before schools re-open for the 2008/2009 academic year.