Father willing to pay GH¢10,000 for daughter’s SHS placement amid CSSPS frustration

A father whose daughter has yet to receive a Senior High School (SHS) placement is contemplating paying GH¢10,000 to secure her admission, as he becomes increasingly frustrated with the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) process. The driver, whose daughter earned an aggregate 9 in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), claimed his daughter had not been placed in any SHS by Friday.

At the KTI Hall resolution centre in Kumasi, he explained that he had been directed to Presby Girls’ Senior High School following someone's suggestion based on his affiliation with the Presbyterian Church. However, his daughter did not wish to attend that school, and he subsequently searched for an alternative option. The preferred school was unavailable through the placement process, leading him to seek assistance from someone he believed could secure a placement for her.

He claimed he was initially offered GH¢10,000 for the placement, but was later told the price was GH¢15,000. The parent arrived at the placement centre around 4:23 a.m., placing him in queue position 206, highlighting the immense pressure on parents seeking placement solutions. Additionally, he alleged that someone at the center inquired whether he was affiliated with the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and whether he possessed a party card, suggesting that an NDC card might have expedited the process.

The parent emphasized that he did not want to politicize the situation, stating that his primary concern was finding a school for his daughter. While this case is one among several grievances at the KTI Hall resolution centre, parents and their children have been struggling with the CSSPS process, with some children remaining unplaced and others assigned schools they did not choose.

These parents are urging the Ghana Education Service (GES) and other relevant authorities to speed up the resolution of pending cases and to improve communication and processing efficiency at the resolution centers to alleviate the long wait times and frequent visits.