School Begins On February 20 For SHS 1 Students

The academic calendar for the 2023 Academic year has shown that first year students in the Senior High School (SHS) will commence their first semester on February 20.

The placements for these students who sat for the 2022 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) is yet to be released.

They have been provided with two different academic calendars: one for a double track system and another for a single track system.

Under the single-track system, the GES said first-year students will begin the first semester on February 20 and end it on April 5 with a break from April 6 to 16.

The second semester will begin on April 17 and end on September 15.

Under the double track calendar, days in school spring from February 20 to April 13 with a vacation from April 14 to June 8; June 9 to August 10 with a vacation from August 11 to September 17; and September 18 to November 30.

The double track system was introduced after the government rolled out the Free SHS policy.

The policy saw the number of students enrolling in high schools increased.

The double track system was an intervention that allowed schools to accommodate more students within the same facility to reduce overcrowding.

In January last year, the deputy Minister for Education, Rev Intim Fordjour said the system has been abolished, however, the Spokesperson of the Education Ministry clarified that the double track system has not been entirely abolished.

“Double track is not completely abolished. We have eliminated double entry of Form One and Form Two students.”

“What it means is that all Form One and Form Two students will go to school each as one cohort not divided into two,” he clarified.

Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini