‘Give us the number’ — Iddrisu orders probe into alleged GH¢30,000 SHS placement demand

Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has called for an investigation into an alleged demand for GH¢30,000 to secure a senior high school placement, insisting that anyone attempting to exploit parents through the placement system must face the law.

Mr Iddrisu made the call after an allegation was raised during an interview on TV 3, monitored by The Executive Spotlight that a person had demanded GH¢30,000 to facilitate the placement of a student.

According to the Minister, the student in question had obtained an aggregate of 12 but was reportedly placed at her fifth choice, prompting concerns from the family.

He said the family should not pay anyone to manipulate the placement process.

Instead, he urged them to provide the telephone number or other details of the person who allegedly made the demand so that the matter could be investigated.

“Give us the number,” Mr Iddrisu said, indicating that the individual could be traced and prosecuted if the allegation was substantiated.

‘Do not pay’

The Education Minister said parents should not be intimidated into paying money to individuals who claim they can secure or change SHS placements.

He said the official Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) was designed to allocate places based on established criteria and available vacancies.

He maintained that no individual should use personal influence or financial demands to undermine the system.

Mr Iddrisu said allegations of placement racketeering should be reported to the appropriate law enforcement authorities for investigation.

He warned that persons found to be involved in such practices would be dealt with “ruthlessly and decisively.”

‘I have no access to CSSPS’

Mr Iddrisu also used the interview to distance his office from direct control of the placement system.

“I have no access to CSSPS,” he said.

The Minister explained that he did not personally determine where individual students were placed and argued that the system should operate independently of political or ministerial interference.

He said strengthening the independence and integrity of CSSPS was essential to restoring public confidence in the placement exercise.

Pressure on Category A schools

The alleged GH¢30,000 demand comes amid intense competition for places in some of Ghana's most sought-after senior high schools.

Mr Iddrisu said the country had sufficient SHS vacancies overall, but demand was disproportionately concentrated on Category A schools.

He said more than 300,000 students had sought places in Category A institutions, against approximately 76,000 available places.

He cited schools such as Presbyterian Boys' Secondary School (PRESEC), Achimota School and Accra Academy as examples of institutions facing exceptionally high demand.

The Minister said the government could not accommodate every student who wanted a Category A school and was therefore pursuing measures to expand capacity.

These include plans to construct 10 new model Category A schools and upgrade selected Category B schools.

More scrutiny of placement

Mr Iddrisu's comments come after he disclosed that headteachers allegedly exceeded their approved CSSPS allocations by about 46,000 students last year.

He said such practices, including admissions outside the centralised system, could undermine the fairness and transparency of the placement process.

He has therefore directed that admissions should be channelled through CSSPS and that schools should not exceed their approved allocations.

The Minister said the government was also considering the use of artificial intelligence to improve the placement system and make the process more efficient.

Call for evidence

Mr Iddrisu urged parents who encounter people demanding money in exchange for placements to preserve the evidence and report the matter.

He said providing telephone numbers, messages, receipts or other relevant information could assist investigators in identifying and prosecuting people who attempt to exploit the placement process.

The Minister's position is that placement should be determined by the established system rather than money, personal connections or unofficial intervention.

He said protecting the credibility of CSSPS was critical to ensuring that every eligible student received a fair opportunity to access secondary education.