The National Investigations Bureau (NIB) has launched an inquiry into claims of bribery in the placement of successful Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) applicants in senior high schools (SHSs), technical and vocational institutions.
According to security sources, the investigations were launched in response to a letter from the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Prof. Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa, petitioning the NIB and the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service to look into allegations of corruption in student placement under the Computerised Schools Selection and Placement System (CSSPS).
Complaints
The GES Director-General stated in the letter, which was obtained by the Daily Graphic, that in certain cases, fingers had been pointed at high officials from the Ministry of Education (MoE), the GES/CSSPS, and the Free SHS Secretariat.
The letter, dated April 5, 2022 and signed by Prof. Opoku-Amankwa, was addressed to the Director-General of the NIB and stated: “The Ghana Education Service’s management will be grateful it if your office could launch a full-scale investigation into these allegations to establish their authenticity or otherwise.
“We are ready to fully co-operate with your office in this exercise.”
Successful placement
The CSSPS, through which successful BECE candidates were placed in SHSs, technical and vocational schools, was described as the most successful in previous years by the MoE this year.
This is due to the fact that there is yet to be a gathering of parents, guardians, and applicants in Black Star Square this year in order for their placement difficulties to be resolved.
The government has described certain parents’ concerns about the placement as rare incidents, claiming that the process was mainly effective.
Statistics
At the start of the exercise, 555,353 applicants qualified for placement, and the number of candidates placed as of last Tuesday was 525,701.
While 367,811 candidates were automatically placed, 187,542 candidates were not.
A total of 99,239 unplaced candidates were manually placed, while 112,198 went through self-placement.
So far, 379,390 students have registered, with 263,358 being boarders and 116,032 being day students.
A total of 146,308 candidates who have been successfully placed have yet to enroll.
There are currently 155,174 open positions.
Allegations
Despite the successful placement procedure, one difficulty with which the exercise has been challenged this year is considerable criticism of suspected commercialization of the activity.
Some parents claimed that they had to pay fees ranging from GH3,000 to GH10,000 to have their children placed in schools of their choosing.
They said that parents chose not to band together because they wanted to find money to pay for their children’s placement.
Open letter
Although some of the parents choose to keep their names hidden for fear of their children and themselves being victimized, Maxwell Maundy, a member of the Ghana Association of Writers (GAW), has condemned the repercussions and disclosed his face.
Mr Maundy documented his terrible ordeal with a guy he only knew as Sammy in his frantic drive to acquire a school for his daughter in a two-part open letter to the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, which was published in sections of the media.
Mr Maundy stated in the letter that in his desperation, he paid GH3,000 to Sammy, who assured him that the daughter would be placed in the Methodist Girls’ SHS in Mamfe, Akuapem, which turned out to be false.
Parliamentary Select
Dr. Clement Apaak, Deputy Ranking Member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education, stated that Mr. Maundy’s accusation was not an isolated incident.
He hinted that many others had similar tales but had opted not to share them for obvious reasons, describing the situation as “very unfortunate” and requiring prompt attention.
He claimed that the MoE’s approach that those who made the charges should provide proof was not helping matters.
Dr. Apaak, the Member of Parliament for Builsa South, stated that because the charges were not one, two, or three, the ministry needed to engage the NIB to determine their validity or otherwise.
Need for review
He said that by doing so, the ministry would improve its image and that of its agencies, as well as provide the public with comfort that the CSSPS was still credible.
He stated that the CSSPS should be examined after it has been in place since 2006.
“The review is necessary, as it will look at where the challenges are coming from, so that they can be addressed. After that if there is the need for some changes, then they can be carried out,” Dr Apaak said.
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SOURCE: GRAPHIC ONLINE
