It is not our responsibility to change schools – CSSPS tells parents

The Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) has advised parents that they are not obligated to alter their children's senior high school placements. This guidance comes amid numerous parents visiting the National Resolution Centre to address concerns from the 2026 SHS placement exercise. While some parents' issues are clear, with their children placed in undesirable schools and preferred ones listed as first or second choices, CSSPS officials clarify that dissatisfaction with a placement does not automatically imply the placement is incorrect.

An official explained to aggrieved parents that those who deliberately chose highly competitive schools cannot expect the system to intervene if their desired schools are not granted. The official further stated that "some parents still selected big schools for their wards and now we have given the child a school, you’ve come that we should change it.

We cannot change it for you." The situation changes, however, when there is a genuine issue with the placement. If a student has been placed in a school not among the eight choices submitted by their parents, a review can occur, but this does not guarantee the student will be moved to one of the originally selected schools. This may be because the student did not qualify for any of the selected schools.

In such instances, even if parents express dissatisfaction, the placement may stay unchanged. For instance, a student living far from a school or a system error (e.g., incorrect gender recognition) could be reviewed. Cases where CSSPS can intervene include placing students as day scholars in distant schools (e.g., a Maamobi student placed at Ada SHS) or incorrect system data (e.g., a boy recorded as a girl).

For students without placements, parents or guardians can visit an internet café to indicate their child's unplaced status. The portal will then present schools with vacancies from which a new selection can be made, designed for students who did not secure placement rather than those who already have a placement but seek a preferred school.