Ghanaian bishops demand transparency over ‘protocol’ school admissions
The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has called on the authorities to fully review the system for placing students in senior high schools. The Church is demanding transparency regarding so-called protocol admissions to popular educational institutions, MyJoyOnline reports.
Demand to explain admission rules
The bishops called on the government to disclose the legal basis for discretionary admissions, the number of places allocated under such procedures, the criteria used, and information about those responsible for the process. In their view, concerns surrounding the Computerised School Selection and Placement System could undermine public trust in the fairness of admissions.
The Conference also drew attention to claims that parents are allegedly being asked to pay for a place for their child. The bishops called for such claims to be investigated and for disciplinary measures or, where justified, criminal liability to be applied to those responsible. At the same time, they stressed that unsubstantiated accusations should not damage the reputation of honest public servants.
Student placement data
According to the Conference, 604,567 candidates were eligible for placement in senior high schools this year, and 527,932 students received places after the results were released. The bishops acknowledged that academic performance, the selected programme, the choice between boarding and day schooling, and the number of available places affect decisions. At the same time, in their view, the results must be understandable and demonstrate the fairness of the procedure.
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The Catholic bishops also expressed concern over reports of students being assigned to schools that do not match their gender, disability, living circumstances, or location. They called for placement errors to be corrected promptly through available channels, giving priority to cases involving disabilities, medical needs, and schools located at considerable distances.
Independent assessment and places in Catholic schools
The Conference proposed involving independent technical experts to assess the placement system and publish the key findings. It also called for families to be informed about the key placement factors, including examination results, selected programmes, relevant cut-off scores or rankings, and the availability of places, as well as for clear appeals procedures with set deadlines to be introduced.
Separately, the bishops renewed their call for an agreement between the government and churches on the management of mission schools. They confirmed their intention to reserve 20% of annual places in Catholic mission schools for Catholic candidates. According to their position, such a mechanism must be transparent, audited annually, and exclude the transfer of money.
