The Ranking Member of the Education Committee of Parliament, Peter Nortsu, has urged government to ensure that every single student qualified for entry into senior high school gains admission.
His comments come in the wake of the internet-based challenges that have inundated the Computerised School Placement Secretariat (CSSPS), leaving parents and Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) graduates extremely frustrated.
“It is unfortunate that this issue keeps coming up again. Over the years we should have overcome it. That notwithstanding, the crucial aspect of the issue is the number of students or candidates who will be left out and not getting admission into the Senior High School,” said Nortsu Tuesday on Morning Starr.
He added, “The issue is that it is not their fault and once they are qualified they must be given schools. If they are not able to get any of their choices, then schools in areas that they come from should be ready to absorb them.
“We must make sure that nobody is denied the opportunity to enter Senior High School this year. Once you are qualified you must be given the opportunity.”
Meanwhile, government has served notice that it working assiduously to get the challenges resolved.
Addressing a news conference Monday a deputy Minister of Education in charge of Tertiary Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum said, “…We at the Ministry of education will do everything possible to ensure that no student who has been given an opportunity to select a school is left behind.”
Urging parents to be calm, he reiterated that “if your child is not enrolled, we will not cut him or her off. We are monitoring the situation.”
Despite Dr. Osei Adutwum’s assurance, some frustrated parents Tuesday besieged the premises of the Education Ministry to seek to have their wards placed.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education has extended the registration process for students seeking Senior High School education to Thursday, September 7, 2017.
A statement signed by Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, on Monday, 4th September, 2017, said “following the release of the Computerised School Selection Placement System (CSSPS) outcome on 31st August 2017, we have received reports from some parents and guardians over difficulty in accessing the website provided for completing the placement process”.
“The ministry has been working with the National Information Technology Agency (NITA) to resolve this challenge and wishes to assure the general public of immediate full access.
“In view of the challenges experienced, the deadline for accessing the internet to complete the placement process has been extended to midnight on Thursday, 7th September 2017.”
