The Ghana Education Service (GES) has announced that all first-year Senior High School (SHS) students in both single-track and transitional schools are to report to school on October 18, 2025, as they formally begin the 2025/2026 academic year.

The Service announced this in a statement dated August 20 and signed by the Director of Schools and Instructions Division, Prince C. Agyemang-Duah, on behalf of the Acting Director-General.

According to GES, the new timetable is designed to ensure smooth operations and consistency across all secondary schools nationwide.

“The reporting date for first-year students (Single Track and Transitional Schools) is 18th October, 2025. Other key term dates and holidays have been clearly outlined in the attached academic calendar,” the release noted.

GES went on to direct all Regional Directors to circulate the academic calendar to second-cycle institutions under their jurisdiction and ensure that all concerned parties duly comply with the new directive.

“By a copy of this letter, Regional Directors are kindly requested to disseminate the attached Academic Calendar to all Heads of Second Cycle Institutions under your jurisdiction, and ensure that Heads strictly adhere to the calendar to guarantee consistency and smooth implementation across all schools. Provide the necessary monitoring and support to Heads of Schools in the execution of the calendar,” parts of the statement read while eulogising them for their “usual cooperation to ensure effective teaching and learning in our institutions for the 2025/2026 academic year.”

As directed in the five-page statement document, the academic year will follow two main schedules – the Transitional Calendar for schools yet to fully align with the standard system, and the Single Track Calendar for schools already on the regular schedule.

The Service also assured parents and stakeholders that the transitional arrangements, which include online sessions for some year groups, are intended to improve instructional time while managing infrastructural limitations across schools.

For Single Track SchoolsAccording to the statement, SHS 3 students will reopen on October 11, 2025, and remain in school until February 27, 2026, covering 18 weeks. They will return on March 13, 2026, for a 14-week session ending June 21, 2026, ahead of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) scheduled for April 20 to June 20, 2026.

SHS 1 and 2 students will start their first session on October 18, 2025, and break on February 27, 2026, after 17 weeks. They will resume on May 4, 2026, for a 16-week session ending August 21, 2026, marking the close of the academic year.

Transitional CalendarThe Transitional Calendar refers to a temporary academic schedule designed to bridge the gap between the old double-track system and the new single-track system.

On that calendar, first-year students will also report on October 18, 2025, and stay until January 30, 2026, before proceeding on a short break. Their second term will then begin on March 16 and run until June 12, 2026, with additional breaks, including some four weeks of off-site learning to help manage overcrowding in school facilities.

Second-year students in transitional schools will reopen on January 5, 2026, and vacate on May 18, 2026, with five weeks of online learning. They will then resume from the vacation later in September for the final stretch of the academic year.

Final-year students in transitional schools will begin on October 27, 2025, for a 14-week session before the Christmas break and resume in February for an 18-week preparation period before they sit for their West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

GES also highlighted some significant breaks in the new timetable. The Christmas break will begin on December 20, 2025, and end on January 4, 2026. Vacation for SHS 3 students is slated for February 27 to March 1, 2026, while SHS 1 and 2 students will break from August 21 to August 23, 2026. GES has also proposed September 11, 2026, as the start date for the 2026/2027 academic year.

In an unrelated development, sixty (60) private schools have been included under the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy. Junior High School (JHS) graduates will be admitted into these private schools, which fall under Category E in the school selection process. These schools will be accepting applications starting from the 2025/2026 academic year.

The new development aligns with the government’s efforts to ease congestion in public SHSs as well as promote quality education across the country.

In a press release issued on Sunday, July 20, by the Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS) and signed by its National Executive Director, Oberto Nana Kwasi Gyetuah, the council described the initiative as a historic and progressive move.

“This progressive move marks a significant milestone in Ghana’s educational transformation journey. It underscores the Government’s commitment to inclusive, collaborative education delivery and reaffirms the important role of private schools in advancing national development goals,” part of the release read.

The council further called on other private schools that are yet to be listed to remain patient, prepared, and compliant with regulatory standards.

In May, Deputy Minister of Education Dr. Clement Apaak announced that the inclusion forms part of a broader plan to scale up capacity and gradually end the double-track system.

“As part of our campaign promise, we have been working diligently to bring on board private senior high schools in the delivery of the Free SHS programme. Meetings have been held, engagements have been done, and we are very certain that with the diligence we expect from our side…” he noted.

The double-track system was introduced in 2018 by the erstwhile government to accommodate the surge in student enrollment due to the Free SHS policy, addressing overcrowding in public schools. Under this system, students were divided into two groups—Green Track and Gold Track—attending school in shifts, with one track in session while the other was on break.

The anticipated extension of the Free SHS policy, according to the Education Minister, Haruna Iddrisu, is a fulfillment of the government’s manifesto promise, adding that it is a step to ensure eligible students gain admission without delays.

“We believe strongly that in fulfilling this manifesto campaign promise, this is going to serve as an artery in helping us bring an end to the double-track system," the deputy minister said.

According to him, the Education Ministry has received encouraging feedback from private schools, many of which have expressed readiness to meet the standards and requirements of the Free SHS framework.

“… and the eagerness of the private schools to participate, the private schools will deliver in their participation,” he assured.

He added that this collaboration would not only help expand capacity but also ensure a more equitable distribution of educational opportunities across the country.