Virtual School in Ghana: After the BECE, From Tamale to Ho, and the Long Wait After WASSCE

By Brendaliz Chelangat, Head of Academics · October 2026 · 9 min read

Our online-school guide for Ghana covers Accra’s fees, Kumasi and Takoradi, and the WASSCE-plus-Cambridge pairing. This one looks at the points in a Ghanaian student’s path where the choices really are made: the BECE at the end of Junior High School, the senior high years that follow, and the months between WASSCE and university. It also looks at the regions furthest from Accra’s schools, the Northern Region around Tamale and the Volta Region around Ho. One fact sits over all of it, and we will not soften it: Ghana is three hours behind our Nairobi teaching base, which shapes when classes can run.

Where the compulsory line falls

Section 2 of the Education Act 2008 (Act 778) provides that education at the basic level is free, compulsory and universal. The basic level ends at Junior High School 3 with the BECE. Senior High School follows and is fee-free for students in public schools under the Free SHS policy, but how far any legal obligation extends beyond the basic level is something families should confirm with the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service. We are not aware of an established parental home-education route under Act 778. Smartious is not a licensed Ghanaian school, and our default is the same in every year: keep the school enrolment, and run Cambridge subjects alongside.

The BECE, placement and the boarding tradition

BECE results feed a computerised placement into Senior High School, and many students go to boarding schools far from home, including the long-established schools of Cape Coast and beyond. That tradition is a real strength and produces much of Ghana’s professional class. It also means the choice of senior school and subjects is made at about fifteen, often without a clear view of the university route. For students aiming at the UK, the US or Canada, the time to plan an added Cambridge track is at placement, not in the final year, so that the subjects chosen at SHS and the Cambridge subjects support each other rather than compete for the same hours.

Tamale, Ho and the regions far from Accra

Tamale is the Northern Region’s capital and a large and growing city, with the University for Development Studies nearby and a large health, NGO and development community. Ho is the Volta Region’s capital and home to the University of Health and Allied Sciences. Both have good schools and families with high ambitions, and both are a long way from Accra’s international tier. For a student here who wants Further Mathematics, separate sciences or Economics at A-Level for an overseas application, a live class alongside the local school, or alongside boarding school during the holidays, removes the need to move to the capital. Every session is recorded, which matters where power or connectivity is uneven.

The months after WASSCE

There is usually a long gap between sitting the WASSCE and starting university, and for students aiming abroad it can be the most useful time of all. Many UK universities ask WASSCE holders for A-Levels or a foundation year, and requirements vary by course, so check the target. A student can use the gap, and the year around it, to take two or three Cambridge AS and A-Levels with us full-time, in morning Ghanaian classes that fall in our early afternoon. Because the student has left school, this is also when full-time study is most straightforward, though families should still confirm their position with the Ministry. Planned well, it turns a waiting period into the qualification an application needs.

The clock, and when the local route is right

Ghana runs GMT and Kenya runs EAT, three hours apart, with no daylight saving on either side. An after-school class at four in Tamale is seven in the evening in Nairobi, which sits in our evening teaching block; morning Ghanaian classes suit students in a gap or study year. The offset never changes, but it is wider than a UK provider’s, and families should weigh that. Cambridge and Pearson Edexcel examinations are sat at authorised exam centres, which families book, with Accra checked first. And for a student heading to Legon, KNUST or Cape Coast on the WASSCE, the national route is the right one, and we would say so.

In Ghana the real decisions come at the BECE, through the SHS years and in the gap after WASSCE, and for families in Tamale or Ho they are made far from Accra’s schools. A live Cambridge track alongside the national route, or a full-time A-Level year once school ends, keeps overseas options open without a move. If your child is approaching one of those points, book an assessment and we will plan the timing honestly with you.

Frequently asked questions

Is school compulsory after the BECE in Ghana?

Act 778 makes education at the basic level, which ends with the BECE, free, compulsory and universal. Confirm with the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service how any obligation applies beyond it.

Can my child take A-Levels with you after WASSCE?

Yes. Many students aiming at UK universities use the months after WASSCE to take two or three Cambridge A-Levels full-time, in morning Ghanaian classes.

What time are classes from Nairobi?

Ghana is three hours behind Nairobi all year. After-school Ghanaian classes fall in our evening teaching block, and morning classes suit full-time students. Every session is recorded.

Our child boards at SHS. Can this still work?

Often in the holidays and from recordings, or where the school allows supervised online study in the afternoon. We plan around your school’s term and rules.

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