GES Releases 2026/27 SHS Prospectus: What Parents Must Buy and What Schools Should Not Demand

The new GES prospectus tells families what students need for the 2026/27 academic year, and gives parents a useful reference when schools request additional items or charges.

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has released the National Harmonised Prospectus for the 2026/2027 academic year, providing a standard list of items required for students entering Senior High Schools (SHS) and Senior High Technical Schools (SHTS).

Released on Thursday, September 3, 2026, the prospectus covers both boarding and day students and includes items ranging from clothing and bedding to academic materials and cleaning supplies. GES said schools and other stakeholders are expected to adhere to the requirements to help ensure a smooth and standardised admission process nationwide.

For parents preparing for SHS, the document is more than something to glance at before shopping. It provides the official starting point for preparing a student for enrolment and a useful benchmark when questions arise about additional demands.

What GES has released

The National Harmonised Prospectus applies to students entering both SHS and SHTS for the 2026/27 academic year.

GES released it ahead of the school placement exercise so parents and students would have time to prepare. The requirements are divided between boarding and day students.

What boarding students need

Because boarding students live at school, their requirements are more extensive.

Personal and household items

• A hard-body suitcase or trunk
• A chop box, either wooden or plastic
• A drinking cup
• A plate and cutlery
• One deodorant
• One pack of toilet roll
• Toothpaste and a toothbrush
• Soap and pomade
• Two packs of sanitary pads for girls
• Decent, school-specific sandals without embellishment
• A pair of school-specific leather slippers
• Decent black or white sneakers
• Two pairs of school-specific socks
• Pyjamas or other sleepwear
• Underwear: five pants and three vests for girls; three boxer shorts or pants and three singlets for boys
• A plastic bucket with a cover
• A pail

Religious and bedding items

• A Bible (RSV/NIV), Quran or hymn book, where applicable and school-specific
• A pillow
• Two bedsheets with two pillowcases, all plain white
• One blanket
• A sleeping cloth

School and academic items

• A pair of khaki trousers and a pair of white or school-specific trousers
• A white dress for female students
• Two white shirts—one short-sleeved and one long-sleeved
• A student-size mosquito net
• A school bag
• A mathematical set
• A scientific calculator
• Two checked dresses, where applicable
• A student mattress
• School-specific shoes and belt
• A hoe or cutlass
• Mosquito repellent

GES also requires students to have their items embossed or embroidered with their names.

Day students have a shorter list

Day students have fewer requirements because they do not live on the school compound.

• A mathematical set
• A scientific calculator
• A school bag
• School-specific sandals without embellishment
• Black or white sneakers

The three cleaning-supply groups

The prospectus also includes cleaning and maintenance supplies. Parents are required to provide items from one of three groups, rather than buying everything listed across all three.

Group 1

• A pair of hard hand gloves
• Five litres of liquid soap
• One kilogram of washing powder

Group 2

• Small-size bleach
• A dustpan
• A long-handle broom
• A scrubbing brush

Group 3

• A standing mop and mop bucket
• A duster
• A short local broom

Parents should therefore check which group applies before buying cleaning supplies.

Why the prospectus matters

The release comes against a background of repeated concerns over unauthorised charges and additional demands in Ghana's secondary and technical education system.

GES has warned schools before about collecting charges that have not been approved. In October 2025, the Service said no second-cycle school had been authorized to collect PTA or development levies without the required approval. The warning followed reports that some schools were demanding such payments from parents and students. The issue did not end there.

In May 2026, GES again cautioned SHS heads against demanding money or materials outside the approved prospectus. The warning followed complaints that some schools were asking parents to provide additional items, including paint, padlocks, bulbs and markers. GES said schools were not authorised to demand such items and urged affected parents to report them.

That makes the current prospectus particularly relevant. Parents now have a current national list against which additional requests can be checked.

 

Schools have faced disciplinary action over unauthorised charges

Warnings have also been accompanied by disciplinary action in some cases. In October 2025, the Ghana TVET Service placed the principals of three technical institutes, Agona Swedru Technical Institute, Sunyani Technical Institute and Madina Technical Institute, on 30-day administrative leave following reports of unauthorised fee collection and extortion. The alleged charges included admission fees, boarding protocol payments, fees for changing residential status, practical-item charges, bedsheet payments and PTA-related levies. The Service said the matter would be investigated.

That case is especially relevant because the 2026/27 GES prospectus also covers Senior High Technical Schools. The important point is not that every extra request from a school is automatically misconduct. It is that unauthorised charges remain an issue serious enough for education authorities to continue issuing warnings and taking disciplinary action.

What parents should know about extra demands

The safest approach is to distinguish between approved requirements, legitimate school-specific requirements and voluntary contributions.

GES's May 2026 position was explicit: schools were not authorised to demand money or items outside the approved prospectus. Where schools face genuine needs, GES said support could come through voluntary contributions from bodies such as PTAs or old students' associations rather than compulsory demands on parents.

So, if a school asks for something that is not in the prospectus, parents should not automatically assume that the request is part of the official national requirements. A useful question is: Is this an approved requirement, a legitimate school-specific requirement, or a voluntary contribution? Where the answer is unclear, parents can seek clarification from the school or report the matter to the appropriate GES office.

What parents should do before reporting

The prospectus tells parents what to prepare, but it does not fix the prices of those items. The cost of a trunk, mattress, school-specific shoes or other supplies can vary significantly depending on where they are purchased.

Preparing early can help families spread the cost, compare prices and avoid last-minute shopping when demand rises. Parents should also keep receipts and retain a copy of the prospectus. Those records can be useful if there is later a disagreement about what a family was asked to provide.

What happens next?

GES released the prospectus ahead of the 2026/27 placement exercise so parents and students could prepare before reporting to their assigned schools. Once a student receives a placement, families can work through the relevant boarding or day-student requirements and then check any additional school instructions carefully.

For parents, the main takeaway is straightforward: start with the GES prospectus, prepare the items listed for your child's category, and question any additional compulsory demand that does not appear to be an approved requirement.

The list tells you what to buy. The bigger value is knowing what the official requirements actually are.