In Ghana, parents demand more centres to resolve school placement issues
In Accra, Ghana, parents and students trying to resolve problems with the Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) have called for additional centres to be opened. The National Placement Resolution Centre at GNAT Hall is receiving large numbers of people seeking assistance with enrolment in senior high schools, MyJoyOnline reports.
Queues and repeat visits
Parents said they are forced to stand in queues for hours and visit the centre several times without receiving comprehensive answers. One of them said he arrived with his child at four in the morning but received no information about the procedure for handling applications.
According to the same parent’s estimate, around 2,000 people had gathered at the centre. He called it unacceptable that the entire Greater Accra Region has only one centre for resolving student placement problems and urged the Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Education to establish four or five such centres in the region.
Another parent complained that people may wait from morning until two in the afternoon, after which they are asked to return the next day. According to him, repeat trips are particularly difficult for families, as parents have to leave work to deal with their children’s enrolment.
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Complaints about school placements
Visitors to the centre also cite a lack of communication and clear instructions. Some said they received queue numbers but did not understand when and exactly how their cases would be considered. They also question whether a limited number of staff can receive the thousands of people who need assistance.
Some parents came not only because of the queues, but also because of unexpected placement results. One of them claimed that his child’s placement had been changed to a private day school. Meanwhile, a retired professor said that his son, who took the BECE examination in the Ashanti Region and selected schools there, was placed at an institution in Greater Accra. According to him, this creates difficulties because the child has to live with his parents.
Parents demand that additional centres be opened, their staffing be strengthened, and applicants be better informed in order to reduce queues and waiting times.
