The Ghana Education Service (GES) has announced that online and off-campus learning will be an important part of the 2025/2026 academic year for Senior High Schools (SHS) and Senior High Technical Schools using the double-track system.
According to GES, this arrangement will mainly affect Form One and Form Two students in transition schools. These students will not spend the entire academic year on campus. Instead, they will alternate between in-school learning and online or off-campus studies.
GES explained that the goal of this plan is to ensure teaching and learning continue smoothly, even when students are not physically present in school. This will help prevent the loss of teaching hours during periods when students are off campus.
In a statement issued on January 2, GES assured parents, teachers, and students that clear systems have been put in place to support learners during the online and off-campus periods. Management stressed that these learning periods are a key part of the school programme and should be taken seriously.
The Service stated that students will be given guided projects and assignments that match the approved textbooks they use in school. In addition, free learning materials will be made available through the official curriculum resources website, curriculumresources.edu.gh, to help students study effectively at home.
To further support learning, GES announced that lessons will be shown daily on the Ministry of Education’s television channel on Multi TV. Schools that already have Learning Management Systems (LMS) have also been directed to activate and fully use them, with support from school authorities.
GES strongly clarified that online and off-campus learning periods are not holidays. The Service made it clear that these periods are counted as part of official teaching and learning time. Because of this, students are expected to participate fully in all lessons, assignments, and activities given during these periods.
As a result, heads of schools, teachers, parents, and guardians have been encouraged to closely supervise students and make sure they take their studies seriously, whether they are learning at home or in school.
Academic Calendar Highlights
For single-track schools, Form One and Form Two students will be in school from January 5 to February 27, 2026. They will then go on break from February 27 to May 3, and return to school from May 4 to August 21, which marks the end of the academic year.
Form Three students in single-track schools will report on January 5, stay in school until February 27, take a short break from February 28 to March 13, and resume classes from March 14 to June 21, 2026.
In transition schools, Form Three students will be in school from January 5 to March 31, 2026. They will break for Easter from April 1 to April 8 and return to school from April 9 to June 21.
Form Two students in transition schools will attend school from January 5 to March 15. They will then switch to online or off-campus learning from March 16 to April 17, go on vacation from April 18 to May 17, and return to school from May 18 to September 4, 2026.
Form One students in transition schools will begin the academic year with online or off-campus learning from January 5 to January 30. They will then go on vacation from January 31 to March 15, return to school from March 16 to May 17, move back to online learning from May 18 to June 12, go on another vacation from June 13 to July 2, and finally resume in-school learning from July 3 to September 4, 2026.
GES explained that these arrangements are part of wider efforts to maintain high academic standards while managing the increasing number of students under the double-track system. The Service believes that with proper support and supervision, online and off-campus learning will help students stay on track and succeed academically.
