GES Opens WAEC Portal for 2026 School Placement Data Submission
The Ghana Education Service (GES) has announced the opening of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) portal for the capture and submission of school-selection data for candidates participating in the 2026 Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) exercise.
The portal is scheduled to remain open from Monday, 24 August to Thursday, 27 August 2026, giving Junior High Schools (JHSs) a limited window to complete the submission process.
What the Latest GES Directive Means
The latest directive is another important step in the 2026 transition from the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) to placement in Senior High Schools (SHSs), Senior High Technical Schools and participating TVET institutions.
GES has directed Heads of Junior High Schools to ensure that the school choices of eligible 2026 BECE candidates are accurately captured, verified and submitted through the WAEC portal.
The exercise follows an earlier GES directive requiring schools to upload candidates’ choices onto the CSSPS platform for pre-testing between 19 and 21 August 2026.
WAEC Portal Open from August 24 to 27
According to the latest directive, the WAEC portal will be available for four days:
- Opening: Monday, 24 August 2026
- Closing: Thursday, 27 August 2026
Schools have therefore been encouraged to complete the exercise within the specified period rather than waiting until the final day.
GES has also directed schools that have not completed the earlier CSSPS pre-testing upload to do so by the close of work on Monday, 24 August 2026.
Who Is Responsible for the Exercise?
The responsibility falls primarily on Heads of Junior High Schools, who are expected to ensure that the information of eligible candidates is properly captured.
The directive also involves education authorities at the regional, municipal and district levels. Metro, Municipal and District Directors of Education, together with Examination Coordinators, have been tasked with supervising and monitoring the process.
Their role is particularly important because errors or omissions in candidate information could affect subsequent stages of the placement process.
Why the Data Submission Is Important
The information being submitted forms an important part of the data used in the placement process.
The CSSPS is designed to match graduating JHS students with second-cycle institutions based on factors including academic performance, programme preferences and available vacancies.
This means accurate school-choice information is essential.
An error in a candidate’s school, programme or other selection information could create difficulties during the subsequent processing of placement data.
For this reason, GES is emphasising accurate data capture, verification and timely submission.
The 2026 School Selection Process Is Different
The 2026 placement exercise has introduced a notable change in the timing of school selection.
For the first time, candidates selected their preferred second-cycle institutions after the release of their BECE results, rather than before sitting the examination.
The change was introduced to allow candidates to make school choices with knowledge of their actual examination performance. It is also intended to reduce situations where candidates with less competitive grades select highly competitive Category A schools, contributing to oversubscription and placement difficulties.
More than 620,000 candidates participated in the 2026 BECE, with 620,243 candidates from 20,789 schools recorded for the examination.
Candidates Were Required to Select Eight Schools
Under the 2026 CSSPS guidelines, candidates are required to select eight schools in order of preference.
The guidelines allow:
- A maximum of 2 Category A schools
- Up to 3 Category B schools
- The remaining 3 choices from Category C schools
Candidates must also indicate their preferred programmes and whether they want boarding or day placement.
The CSSPS guidelines further state that candidates may select up to five boarding schools, while the remaining choices can be day schools. Day-school candidates are advised to select institutions within a reasonable travelling distance from home.
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