Staff of the Agona West Municipal Education Directorate of the Ghana Education Service (GES) in the Central Region have embarked on a tour in the eight circuits of the Municipality to educate the public on the Computerised School Selection guidelines for 2019.

This followed a directive by the Ghana Education Service to compel all districts/Municipal/Metropolis to educate and sensitize the public on the 2019 selection process which will eventually culminate into school placement for 2019/2020 academic year.

Headteachers, Community Members, Parents and Students in the eight circuits namely; Swedru ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’, Nkum, Nyakrom ‘A’ and ‘B’, Bobikuma ‘A’, and ‘B’ and Kwaman were schooled on the selection process.

Ms. Elizabeth Helen Essel, the Municipal Director of Education, Agona West, said the Staff of the Directorate and Headteachers visited the various mosques, churches, and meeting places during the Easter holidays to undertake the exercise.

She said a total of 517,255 regular candidates from both public and private basic schools have registered for the BECE in the country, adding that 2,573 were re-sitters, who wrote their examination in February, this year, making a total of 519,828.

Ms. Essel said a total of 2,860 final year Junior High School students in the Agona West Municipality made up of 1443 males and 1417 females are writing this year’s BECE at 10 centres.

Mr. Kwamina Tandoh, a Public Relations Officer of the GES in the Agona West Municipality, said the sensitization was part of measures put in place by the GES and the Free SHS Secretariat to ensure successful and hitch free Placement into Senior High School this year.

He commended all for their support and commitment in helping educate the public on the school selection guidelines and prayed for a successful placement this year.

He further called on students not to allow internet café attendants to aid them select schools but rather consult the Education Office when they need assistance.

The Ministry of Education this year released new guidelines on how the schools are to be selected. These include the following:

1. Candidates can, in accordance with the 2019 school register, select 1st - 5th choice schools from a combination of Categories A, B, C, D and E.

2. List choices 1-4 in order of priority.

3. Choice five(5) must be the candidates’ Catchment area day school which is the Category D compulsory day school. This means that the compulsory day school is now restricted to candidates’ 5th Choice.

Candidates must be guided by this:
1. Choose five(5) schools

2. Select Programme and Residential Status for each choice

3. Remember that candidates’ choices:
Can include up to 1 Category A school
Can include up to 2 Category B schools
Can include up to 4 Category C schools
Can include up to 5 Category E schools

It must also be noted that all JHS in the country have been mapped to a Senior high school within its catchment area ( 16 kilometers) making it easy for candidates to identify the schools they can choose as Day to satisfy the compulsory day requirement.