2026/2027 SHS And SHTS Academic Calendar: GES Reopening Date, Vacation & Closing Dates

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has directed heads of Senior High Schools (SHSs) and Senior High Technical Schools (SHTSs) to immediately stop imposing unauthorised charges on parents and guardians of students.

The directive comes at a time when schools are receiving newly admitted students for the 2026/2027 academic year, with families making preparations for their children's transition into second-cycle education.

According to the GES, it has received reports that some school authorities have been compelling parents and guardians to purchase certain items directly from their schools. The items mentioned include trunks, chop boxes, uniforms and cutlasses, among other requirements.

The Service said such practices are contrary to approved guidelines governing student admissions and student requirements. It has therefore instructed school heads to comply strictly with the approved guidelines and refrain from introducing charges or compulsory purchases that have not been authorised.

GES has also warned that heads of schools found imposing unauthorised charges or compelling parents to purchase items through their schools could face severe administrative sanctions under GES regulations.

What the Latest GES Directive Means

The latest directive is essentially a reminder to school authorities that they cannot independently introduce compulsory financial demands on parents and students outside approved requirements.

While students entering boarding schools may need several personal effects, the fact that an item is useful or commonly requested does not automatically mean that a school can require parents to buy it directly from the school.

The distinction is important because parents may sometimes receive instructions from individual schools and assume that every item mentioned is an officially authorised requirement.

GES has now made clear that school heads are expected to operate within the approved admission and student-requirement guidelines. Where a school introduces additional charges or forces parents to purchase items through the institution without authorisation, the head responsible may face administrative action.

The directive was issued in a letter dated September 18, 2026 and signed by Deputy Director-General Professor Smile Dzisi on behalf of the Director-General. Regional Directors have also been instructed to communicate the directive to heads of SHSs and SHTSs in their respective regions and ensure compliance.

Items Mentioned in Reports to GES

The GES directive followed reports concerning schools allegedly requiring parents to purchase particular items directly from the schools.

Among the items identified in the reports were:

Item mentioned	Issue raised by GES
Trunks	Parents should not be compelled to purchase items through the school without authorisation.
Chop boxes	Compulsory purchases from the school are subject to approved guidelines.
School uniforms	Unauthorised compulsory charges or purchases are not permitted.
Cutlasses	Schools must follow approved student-requirement guidelines.

The inclusion of these items in reports does not mean that every SHS or SHTS is imposing such requirements. The GES directive specifically responds to reports involving some school heads and is intended to ensure that schools across the system follow the approved rules.

GES Says School Heads Must Follow Approved Guidelines

At the centre of the directive is the requirement for school authorities to comply with the approved guidelines on admission and student requirements.

This means school heads are expected to distinguish between legitimate student requirements and additional demands that have not been approved by the appropriate authorities.

The directive does not give individual schools the freedom to create their own compulsory charges simply because they believe those charges may be useful to the administration or students.

Parents and guardians preparing their children for SHS or SHTS are therefore encouraged to pay close attention to the official requirements provided through the appropriate channels. Where a demand appears to go beyond approved requirements, parents can seek clarification instead of assuming that the demand is automatically authorised.

This is particularly important during the admission period, when families are often under pressure to obtain school items within a short period.

School Heads Could Face Severe Administrative Sanctions

One of the most significant parts of the GES directive is the warning to school heads.

The Service stated that any head of school found imposing unauthorised charges or compelling parents and guardians to purchase items through the school would face severe administrative sanctions in accordance with GES regulations.

The warning places direct responsibility on heads of schools to ensure that their institutions operate within the approved framework.

It also means that the directive is not simply an advisory message for schools to consider. GES has made clear that non-compliance can have administrative consequences for school heads found responsible for the prohibited practices.

However, the directive does not specify in the reported statement exactly what sanction would apply to every possible case. Therefore, it would be inaccurate to state that every head found violating the directive will automatically receive a particular punishment. The appropriate action would depend on the circumstances and applicable GES regulations.

Regional Directors Given Responsibility for Compliance

The GES has also placed responsibility on its Regional Directors.

Regional Directors have been instructed to ensure that the directive is communicated to heads of Senior High Schools and Senior High Technical Schools within their respective regions.

They are also expected to ensure strict compliance with the instruction.

This creates a chain of responsibility within the education administration. Rather than leaving the directive as a general announcement, GES is asking its regional structures to communicate the instruction directly to schools and monitor compliance.

For parents, this is important because concerns involving unauthorised charges can be raised through the appropriate education authorities when necessary.

What Parents Should Do If a School Demands an Unauthorised Payment

Parents and guardians who encounter a charge or compulsory purchase that they believe is outside the approved requirements should avoid making assumptions.

The first step can be to ask the school for clarification about the requirement and whether it forms part of the officially approved student requirements.

Parents should also keep records of instructions they receive concerning compulsory payments or purchases. This could include written notices, receipts, messages or other documents that clearly show what has been requested.

Where the matter remains unclear, parents can seek clarification from the appropriate GES authorities rather than relying solely on information circulated through informal channels.

Parents should also be careful about paying individuals who claim to be acting on behalf of a school or education authority without proper confirmation. During admission periods, families can become vulnerable to unofficial demands because of the urgency surrounding school reporting and preparation.

The Directive Comes During the 2026/2027 SHS Admission Period

The timing of the directive is significant because it comes as newly admitted students prepare to report to their schools for the 2026/2027 academic year.

Families are already making arrangements for school clothing, personal effects, transportation and other preparations associated with the transition from basic education to second-cycle education.

For boarding students in particular, parents may have to purchase several personal items before reporting. This makes it important for families to understand which requirements are officially approved and which demands may not have been authorised.

The GES intervention is therefore aimed at preventing additional financial pressure from being placed on parents through compulsory charges or purchases that fall outside the approved framework.

It also reinforces the need for school administrators to communicate student requirements responsibly and transparently.

GES Issues Further Guidance on Trunks and Chop Boxes

A further development reported by the Ghana News Agency on September 20, 2026 provides additional context to the issue of personal storage items.

GES said newly admitted students should not be turned away or denied boarding accommodation simply because they brought a metal trunk or wooden chop box instead of another type of storage container prescribed by an individual school.

The Service said students admitted to boarding accommodation should be treated fairly and should not be discriminated against because of their parents' economic circumstances or their ability to purchase a particular brand or type of personal effect.

GES further indicated that where a trunk, chop box or other personal storage container is reasonably sized, safe and does not create a risk to the health, safety or welfare of other students, the student should not be refused accommodation solely because of the type of container brought to school.

This latest position is relevant to parents preparing newly admitted students because it shows that the issue is not simply about whether students need personal storage containers. The concern is also about schools using such requirements as a basis for turning away duly admitted students or imposing unauthorised demands.

GES said reported cases involving students being denied accommodation or turned away solely because of the type of trunk, chop box or personal storage container they brought should be investigated and reported to management.

What the Latest Developments Mean for Newly Admitted Students

For newly admitted students, the immediate message is that admission and reporting should not become an opportunity for unauthorised financial demands.

Students should follow the official instructions given to them, while parents should confirm questionable requirements before making payments or purchasing items directly from a school.

At the same time, the GES directive does not mean that students have no personal requirements at all. Students may still need personal effects and other items required under approved arrangements. The important issue is whether a particular requirement or charge has been officially authorised and whether parents are being compelled to purchase it through the school.

Parents should therefore avoid interpreting the directive as a blanket instruction that students do not need school-related personal items. Instead, it is a directive against unauthorised charges and compulsory purchases outside the approved framework.

How This Relates to SHS Placement and Admission Preparations

The issue of unauthorised charges comes at the end of a placement and admission process that has already required parents and students to deal with school selection, placement confirmation and reporting arrangements.

For families who are still completing their admission preparations, it is important to rely on official information rather than unofficial lists or instructions circulating on social media.

247 World Reports previously published a detailed report on the challenges surrounding the 2026 SHS placement process, including information about candidates who had been placed and the issues surrounding available vacancies.

Read our previous report on the 2026 SHS placement challenges and available options.

Parents can also read our earlier report on the 2026/2027 SHS and SHTS academic calendar to keep track of important dates for the academic year.

Read the 2026/2027 SHS and SHTS academic calendar report.

Why Parents Should Verify School Demands

The latest GES warning highlights an important point for parents: not every instruction received during the admission process should automatically be treated as an official GES requirement.

Some schools may have legitimate operational arrangements, while other demands may require approval before they can be made compulsory. That is why parents should distinguish between a general personal recommendation and a compulsory payment or purchase being demanded by a school.

When a school says that a parent must pay a particular amount or purchase an item directly from the school, asking for clarification about the official basis of the requirement can help prevent unnecessary disputes.

It can also protect parents from paying money for items that they could otherwise obtain through legitimate channels at a lower cost.

What School Heads Need to Know

The responsibility placed on school heads by the latest directive is straightforward: schools must operate within approved GES guidelines.

Heads of SHSs and SHTSs are expected to ensure that staff members and school administrators do not introduce unauthorised charges or force parents to purchase items through the school.

They must also ensure that information given to parents during admission and reporting is consistent with the approved requirements.

The warning about administrative sanctions means that school leadership should take the directive seriously and review admission-related practices where necessary.

Regional Directors, meanwhile, have been tasked with communicating the instruction and ensuring compliance across schools in their regions.

What Happens Next?

The immediate next step is implementation of the directive at school and regional levels.

GES has instructed Regional Directors to communicate the order to heads of SHSs and SHTSs, while school heads are expected to comply with the approved guidelines.

The additional September 20 guidance concerning trunks and chop boxes also places emphasis on fair treatment of duly admitted boarding students.

Parents who encounter problems should document the issue and report it through the appropriate education authorities for investigation rather than relying on social media claims or unofficial intermediaries.

Conclusion

The Ghana Education Service has taken a clear position against unauthorised charges and compulsory purchases imposed by SHS and SHTS heads outside approved student requirements.

The September 18 directive follows reports that some school authorities were compelling parents to purchase items such as trunks, chop boxes, uniforms and cutlasses directly from their schools.

GES has instructed school heads to stop such practices and comply strictly with approved admission and student-requirement guidelines. Regional Directors have also been tasked with communicating the directive and ensuring compliance.

Most importantly, GES has warned that heads found imposing unauthorised charges or compelling parents to purchase items through their schools may face severe administrative sanctions under the Service's regulations.

The subsequent guidance on trunks and chop boxes further emphasises that duly admitted boarding students should not be turned away solely because of the type of reasonable, safe storage container they bring to school.

For parents and guardians, the safest approach is to rely on official information, ask questions where requirements are unclear, keep records of questionable demands and report suspected unauthorised charges through the appropriate channels.

As the 2026/2027 academic year gets underway, the GES directive is intended to ensure that admission and reporting processes remain within the approved rules and that families are not subjected to compulsory financial demands that have not been authorised.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for general informational and educational purposes only. While we make reasonable efforts to ensure that the information is accurate and up to date, details may change over time.

Readers are encouraged to verify important information with the relevant official sources or authorities before taking any action. 247 World Reports is not responsible for any loss or inconvenience resulting from reliance on information provided in this article.

Source: GES & MyJoyOnline