Cape Coast-Ghana, Feb 17, GNA –Frustrated parents have besieged the Central Regional office of the Free Senior High School (SHS) Secretariat in feverish attempts to secure SHS placements for their wards.
This follows the release of the long-awaited Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) list by the Ghana Education Service (GES) Wednesday and Thursday, February 15, 2023.
The system placed 372,380 students, representing 69.24 per cent in one of their school choices, leaving 165,619 others, representing 30.76 per cent to do self-placement.
In all, a total 538,399 out of the 547,329 candidates who sat for the 2022 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) qualified for placements, which suggests that 8,390 candidates could not qualify for Secondary, Technical and Vocational education.
The Ghana News Agency (GNA) met about 30 parents and their wards at the Free SHS Office located at the Regional Coordinating Council around 11:00 hours and observed more of them trickling in momently.
For some parents, their wards had not been given a school at all, while others were not happy about the schools their children got.
The situation has left many parents and students desperate, jittery and angry with barely some days to report to school.
Madam Esther Owusu, a parent, indicated that her daughter who scored aggregate 18 and sought to do science in her choice of schools, including Wesley Girls, Ghana National College and Aggrey Memorial was not given any of them .
She was of the view that if her daughter’s grade did not qualify her to do science in any of her selected schools, she should be given the opportunity to study a different course in any of the selected schools.
“There are people who scored aggregate 49 but they have been given their choices and so how come my daughter did not get her school?
“Because we do not have money, our children have been displaced,” she alleged.
Madam Owusu retorted that she wanted her daughter in a more competitive school when she was referred to the self-placement system.
She appealed to the GES to educate parents to enable them make informed choices in the selection of schools for their children.
Another parent, Mr Stephen Essilfie whose two children had aggregates 27 and 39 and did not get any of their choices including Assin Manso SHS and University Practice SHS, told the GNA they could not access the self-placement system.
“We went to their Junior High School to help us out but we were not successful; that is why we are here. There is no time to waste at all,” he said.
Nana Kwamena Ansah, another aggrieved parent, was hopeful that his son who scored aggregate 43 would be able to secure a spot in a school to pursue a technical course.
His son’s original choices included Takoradi Technical Institute, Komenda SHS and Assin Manso SHS but he was not fortunate enough to get any of them.
“We have made all preparations. We are only looking for the placement,” he said.
For Agya Owusu, he was directed by an official who spoke on radio to go to the office with the assurance that his son would get a school with his aggregate 44.
He also indicated they were logistically prepared and were only waiting to be placed.
