Catholic Bishops demand independent audit of CSSPS • Minister pledges to set up Technical Working Committee

The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) has called for an independent review of the Senior High School (SHS) placement system amid growing concerns over alleged unfairness, lack of transparency and claims that parents are being asked to pay money to secure school places.

The Bishops said the recurring complaints surrounding the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) had reached a point where independent technical experts should examine the system and make their findings public to restore confidence in the process.

In a statement signed by the President of the GCBC and Bishop of Sunyani, Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, the Conference said 604,567 candidates qualified for placement this year, while 527,932 were placed when the results were released.

It acknowledged that placement outcomes depended partly on academic performance, programme choices, boarding or day preferences and available spaces, but stressed that the process must be transparent, understandable and demonstrably fair.

The Bishops expressed concern over complaints that some students had been placed in schools unsuitable for their sex, disability, circumstances or location.

“No student should be sent to a day school so far from home that daily attendance becomes unreasonable, costly, or unsafe,” the Conference said.

It called for students with disabilities to be placed in schools equipped to meet their needs, while genuine placement errors should be corrected quickly through accessible channels.

The Conference expressed particular concern over allegations that parents were being asked to pay money to secure places for their children.

It said if placement was meant to be free, no official, agent or intermediary should request or accept payment.

The Bishops called for investigations into such allegations, with persons found culpable facing disciplinary action and, where warranted, criminal charges.

They also demanded clarity on so-called “protocol” admissions, saying the public deserved to know their legal basis, the number of places involved, the criteria applied and persons responsible for such arrangements.

The Conference further raised concerns about admissions into Catholic mission schools, reiterating its 2025 decision that 20 per cent of admissions to its mission schools should be reserved annually for Catholic candidates.

It said the arrangement was intended to enable the founding Churches to maintain a meaningful number of students who could participate in the religious and moral formation central to the schools’ purpose.

The Bishops stressed, however, that the arrangement must be transparent, administered through the appropriate Boards of Governors and diocesan education offices, annually audited and strictly free from monetary exchange.

They also called for the long-discussed agreement between the government and the Churches on the management of mission schools to be concluded and signed without further delay.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education has welcomed the call and announced plans to establish a Technical Working Committee after the current placement exercise to undertake a comprehensive review of the system.

The Minister of Education, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, said the government welcomed the call for greater transparency, accountability and an eventual review of the CSSPS.

He said the system was fundamentally merit-based, with merit taking precedence over protocol in the placement of qualified candidates.

Mr Iddrisu said the proposed review would examine the various components of the system, identify areas requiring improvement and make recommendations to ensure that the CSSPS remained credible, efficient, fair and responsive to students, parents and schools.

He reiterated that CSSPS placement was free and that no parent or candidate was required to pay money to secure a placement or have a placement changed.

He urged parents and guardians with credible evidence of officials or third parties demanding money in connection with placement to report such cases to the appropriate law enforcement bodies, assuring them that their identities would be protected.

BY CLIFF EKUFUL AND GORDON WELLU

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