The Ghana Education Service (GES) has released the 2024/2025 academic calendar for senior high schools (SHS), setting the start date for first-year students at October 30, 2024.
This marks a shift back to the pre-COVID-19 academic calendar, with the aim of aligning with the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) calendar and ensuring final year students write their exams in May/June.
First-year students will join continuing students in single-track institutions and second-year students in transitional schools on October 30.
Second-year students transitioning to third year in the transitional calendar schools will begin their end-of-semester break on October 28 and resume on January 3, 2025.
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The GES Director-General, Dr Eric Nkansah has explained that aligning the academic calendar with that of the WAEC calendar is crucial for ensuring a smooth transition for students and a more efficient examination process.
“We cannot achieve May/June next year 2025, but if we are able to do the October this time, we will be able to start the academic year next year in September,” Dr Nkansah said.
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The shift back to the pre-COVID-19 calendar is also in response to pressure from universities to align the pre-tertiary calendar with theirs.
Regarding the challenges of the Computerized Schools Selections and Placement System (CSSPS), Dr Nkansah has assured that GES is prepared to address them.
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While acknowledging the short timeline, he emphasized that GES teams are committed to delivering placements on time.
He also assured parents that students who are unable to report on the designated date due to unforeseen circumstances will be given time to resolve any issues and join their classmates.