IFEST calls for review of CSSPS technology, school selection model

The Institute for Education Studies (IFEST) has called for technological advancements and a comprehensive review of the model of school selection of the Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS).

In a social media post sighted by Pretertiary.com, the Executive Director of IFEST, Peter Partey Anti, said the review of the computerized school placement system should take into account the historical performance of the system.

He said historically, the Computerized School Selection and Placement System has undergone broad changes to meet the demands of the time, saying the first computerized placement exercise was carried out for the 2005/2006 academic year.

The IFEST Director indicated that between 2011 and 2016, several reforms, including the Introduction of placement portals and SMS services to check placement results and the Integration of technical and vocational schools into the main placement system, were introduced to make the system more inclusive and efficient.

Other reforms, he said, were improvements in data verification between the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and GES databases, and implementation of self-placement options for students who were not automatically placed.

However, he said the introduction of the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy in 2017 significantly increased enrolment demand, putting new pressure on the Computerized School Selection and Placement System.

Amid the introduction of the Free SHS, he said the system was upgraded to accommodate a larger number of candidates with the self-placement portal expanded, to allow unplaced students to choose available schools and programs in real time, and digital services to further improve with online portals like cssps.gov.gh.

But recently (2020 -2025), he said the Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) has become more data-driven and integrated with other education management systems.

According to him, the computerized school placement portal now allows students to print admission letters directly online, but with challenges including over-demand for top-category schools, server congestion during release periods, and complaints about manual adjustments and inequitable placements.

The Institute for Education Studies (IFEST) call comes after the Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, following the challenges in this year’s computer school placement, said he will set up a committee to review the Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS).

“I have observed that some parents are unhappy, justified. Some students are unhappy, justified, because they chose a particular course, Science, and was given General Arts or Business. That would be a disincentive even for that child to study hard and do his best,” he said.

The Education Minister and Member of Parliament for Tamale South constituency stated that the current Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) is not functioning as expected.

“It means that the computerized placement system is not working well for the country, and I’m happy to review it, and I will review it,” the Education Minister stated.

He added, “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.”

Speaking in reaction to the Education Minister’s announcement of a technical committee to assess the CSSPS in an interview on Citi Eyewitness News, Dr. Anti said a detailed audit is the first and most crucial step to determining whether the current system is fit for purpose.

“The first thing that I think they need to do is to do an audit of the system,” he stated, adding that “The Information we are picking indicates that there have been some changes in the original system that has been in place for some period.”

He explained that the audit will help reveal whether the current software and processes are robust enough to continue, or if a completely new system is required to address persistent challenges with transparency, fairness, and efficiency.

Beyond the technical audit, Dr. Anti also called for a deeper rethink of the computerized school placement model itself, particularly the timing of school selection.

“There should be a comprehensive review about the model of selection that we have adopted,” the Executive Director of the Institute for Education Studies (IFEST), Dr. Peter Anti, stated.

He told the host of Eyewitness News, “Most of these issues emanate from the fact that students are made to select schools before they see their results. This kind of anticipated performance is what creates the problem.”