Deputy Minister of Education, Dr Clement Apaak, has admonished parents and caretakers desist from making payments to persons claiming to be able to guarantee a Senior High School (SHS) spot for their wards via the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS).
“Placement costs nothing. Don’t give money to anybody who says they can assist you with placement. Anyone who asks for money in exchange for placement is a scammer and should be reported to the police right away.”
While speaking during an,interview, Dr. Apaak encouraged parents to have trust in the system. The Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) is expected to officially go live today.
“Pupils who have finished the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and have received their results will be assigned to schools via the CSSPS”, he said.
“We expect that the students will be placed according to the way the system has been programmed to place them,” he noted.
He expressed optimism with the Placement System indicating that measures are put in place to mitigate previous situations.
He further said that there will be limited spots for Grade ‘A’ schools encouraging parents to be content with any school the system will place their wards. He believes that whether Grade ‘A’ or ‘C’ school, it has no impact on the students academic performance citing dedication to academic work, parental support, and teachers’ efforts as essential for students’ academic excellence.
“We have opted to let the system do its job and not try to change it by hand. We want to get rid of the biased manipulation of the system, which is sometimes caused by money.”
The Deputy Minister admitted the differences in school facilities, he argued it has no bearing on students academic performance.
Touching on measures put in place to tackle issues related to school placement, Dr. Apaak explained that the CSSPS team has inaugurated a resolution center at GNAT Hall in Accra. The center will also handle matters such as where a boy is placed in all-girls school or a girl placed in all-boys school. The center will implement sufficient security measures to support workers and the public throughout the resolution process, in accordance with directives from the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu.
