CSSPS review finished to ensure meritocracy, transparency – MoE

The overhaul of the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) for placement of Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates into their preferred or selected second-cycle school has been completed, the Minister of Education, Honourable Haruna Iddrisu, has announced.

Speaking to journalists, the Education Minister said the overhaul was to ensure meritocracy, transparency and equity in the Computerised School Selection and Placement process.

“But much of it, we should all admit, is problems created by all of us. In many instances, we have seen registration of unqualified Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) students. You can imagine somebody in Primary Six, Form One or Form Two being encouraged by their parent to write BECE.

That is not acceptable under our Ghana Education Service (GES) practices, and any student or parent caught will be dealt with decisively.

The students must go through the full course of Primary School to Junior High School 3 before writing BECE. We will strictly enforce the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and Ghana Education Service standards on this matter,” Mr Iddrisu stressed at a press briefing in Accra yesterday.

The Minister in Charge of Education indicated that the central government would restore the policy of the catchment area in the process of BECE student placement at the secondary level.

He stated that the opportunity of catchment area policy, where some opportunities were given to the community and community leaders and persons within that community to have access to secondary education, would be improved in the coming days.

Mr Iddrisu directed the Director-General of the GES to ensure that students began the process of deciding on school choice, “but that process is not to be completed until the results are finally announced and determined”.

“So, in the past, we had a situation where students determined and chose schools without knowing their aggregate level, and that affected the placement system.

“This time, we will give a mandatory period of one week after the results have been declared for students to confirm on the basis of their performance in the BECE what their first choices are,” the Education Minister further announced.

The Minister for Education said, citing the role alumni play in second-cycle schools, that the government has recognised their effort, thereby giving them a dedicated percentage of the school placement.

“Accordingly, a dedicated percentage will be given to alumni for the purpose of placement in their revised CSSPS programme. I pray that this will not be abused, just like the protocol is often abused,” he said.

Mr Iddrisu further announced that there would be a supervising technical working committee that would supervise the work of the CSSPS and, “then the restoration of a displacement algorithm to ensure fairness and placement of candidates who would have preferred school choices”.

The completion of the overhaul of the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) comes after the Ministry of Education set up a committee to review the computer school selection and placement system.

Speaking at the 32nd Annual National Conference of Directors of Education (CODE) in Sunyani, Mr Haruna Iddrisu said the review is aimed at addressing persistent challenges in the placement system and strengthening its fairness and efficiency.

The formation of the committee to review the Computerised School Selection and Placement System, the Education Minister said, is chaired by the Headmaster of Mfantsipim Senior High School.

“We are reviewing the system to make it a more robust one that recognises and rewards merit, not protocol. Our goal is to restore public trust in school placement and eliminate all forms of manipulation,” he said.

The Minister for Education also cautioned heads of various government second-cycle schools in the country to desist from turning away students placed in their school by the computer school placement.

He stressed that once a student has been placed in a school through the Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS), the school authorities are obliged to admit the student without delay or intimidation.

“No child should be turned away or denied enrolment once they are placed. The placement is a right, not a privilege. Heads of institutions must uphold fairness and ensure a smooth process,” he added.

The Ministry of Education (MoE) decision to review the computer school placement system comes after the Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu said the computer placement system is not working well for the country.

“It means that the computerised placement system is not working well for the country, and I’m happy to review it, and I will review it,” he said during his visit to Presbyterian Boys’ Secondary School (PRESEC), Legon, on Monday, October 20, where he inspected facilities and assessed the school’s admission procedures.

Speaking to the authorities of the Presbyterian Boys’ Secondary School, the Education Minister said he will put together a committee to review the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS)  to make it fairer and more efficient.

“I’ll put in place a committee to review its performance over the decade, and then give me a credible alternative. What we need is meritorious admission. Nobody would accept that you get an Aggregate 6, and you can’t get the spot of your first choice. That’s unfair, and we’ll look very closely into that,” he said.