Recent amendments have been made to the BECE school selection with an add-on cluster feature.
Please take note of the following:
- Cluster schools are schools of the same group or category that students would have to consent to accepting or declining as a substitute for their preliminary choices.
- Since all category schools belong to a particular cluster (that is category A schools belong to a cluster of category A, same for B and C schools) students have to indicate whether Yes, he or she would like to be considered for other similar schools in the same cluster if he or she is not accepted in the school chosen from that category. Or No, decline the option to be considered for another placement in an available school if not placed in the school he or she chose.
With these changes being made, students are advised to choose schools carefully especially when it comes to declining or accepting the cluster school alternatives.
This is what you should consider about the BECE 2022 Cluster Feature
You should consider your academic performance as well when choosing from a category.
Hence a student attaining very high scores in the range of 350 to 400 is most likely to be accepted in an A-category school especially if the student declines the cluster alternative.
A student attaining raw scores in the ranges of 200 to 349 is more likely to be accepted in a category B or C school although the student may decline the cluster option.
When accepting the cluster option, students should be ready to go to the alternative school in their indicated category. Hence the advantage is, students still get a school in the category of their choice but not for the particular school or location they desire.
What it means if you select YES in the Cluster option for your Category A school
Whether you should select “Yes” to the Category A Cluster depends on your academic record.
If you choose “YES” to the Category A Cluster, you may be allocated to any category A school.
If you are a student who
- is not in the Top 10% of your class rank / expected BECE score
- wants to attend a Category A school
- is willing to attend a boarding school in a very different, possibly remote, part of Ghana,
then you can select YES for the Category A Cluster school.
However, if you are a student who
- is in the Top 10% of your class rank / expected BECE score
- has made a careful Category A, B, and C school selection -schools with very good academic performance as per our school finder, but not with high “brand recognition”
- has a strong preference for a specific region,
then we recommend you select NO for the Category B Cluster School and choose schools carefully.
What it means if you select YES in the Cluster option for your Category B or C school
At GhanaHighSchools.com, we do not recommend selecting “Yes” on the Cluster option for Category B or C unless you have a poor academic record.
Why? Because the spread of Category B schools is too wide.
You may end up being placed at Yendi Senior High School in the Northern Region, which has only a 1% WASSCE Passing Rate. Or you might be lucky and get admitted to Armed Forces Senior High/Tech in Kumasi, which has a 51% WASSCE Passing Rate.
Therefore, it will be better for you to carefully select Category B and Category C schools with a relatively high WASSCE Passing Rate and attractive facilities, but that are not as well known as other schools, and select “No” for the Category B/C Cluster Option.
Good performances in the core subjects are considered over that of the electives. Consequently, these are the criteria that make you more likely to be accepted into a school. After the performance of the student’s core subject has been considered, then the electives are considered.
View a sample of the 2022 school selection form https://ghanahighschools.com/information/how-to-apply-to-shs/
