Executive Director of the Institute for Education Studies (IES), Dr Peter Anti Partey, has identified communication gaps and the historical over-concentration of resources on a small number of schools as fundamental drivers of Ghana’s recurring school placement crisis, calling for a technology-driven complaint system and deliberate investment in upgrading Category B and C schools.
Reflecting on the current placement exercise, Dr Anti Partey said any genuine progress recorded should be acknowledged alongside the challenges being highlighted, noting that the percentage of successfully placed candidates this year represents a positive development worth recognising even as queues persist at resolution centres nationwide.
Dr Anti Partey noted that he expects the queues currently mounting at resolution centres to reduce significantly by the middle or close of the week, describing this as an important benchmark for assessing how efficiently outstanding cases are being resolved.
Addressing his longstanding call, dating back to 2023, for a complete overhaul of the placement system, he acknowledged that some improvements have been made, but maintained that these improvements have not been sufficient to eliminate recurring challenges within the system.
Call For Embedded Digital Complaint System
Central to Dr Anti Partey’s recommendations was a proposal to integrate a formal complaint mechanism directly into the placement system itself, reducing the need for affected students and parents to physically gather at resolution centres to raise concerns.
He proposed a system where candidates could log their placement complaints through a dedicated online platform immediately after reviewing their results, with genuine and verified concerns addressed through the same digital channel.
He argued that leveraging technology and artificial intelligence could make this shift achievable, given that candidates already access their results online.
“People should be able to communicate their challenges through a platform and be responded to through the same channel, so that we cut down on the physical resolution centre gatherings and the anxiety that comes with them,”
Dr Peter Anti Partey
Category A Concentration Identified as Root Cause
Asked to identify the fundamental driver of the recurring placement crisis, Dr Anti Partey pointed directly to the sustained concentration of demand on Category A schools, explaining that parents cannot reasonably be faulted for wanting the best possible education for their children from a government they contribute to through taxation.
He argued that this demand pressure stems from decades of concentrated investment in a limited number of schools, calling for a more equitable model of educational resource distribution that extends meaningful investment to Category B and C institutions as well.
“We need an equitable model of educational resource distribution, projecting Category B and C schools and sending resources there so the public can see these schools being brought up,”
Dr Peter Anti Partey
Communication Transparency Flagged As A Separate Issue
Beyond resource distribution, Dr Anti Partey identified communication and transparency gaps as a distinct but related challenge affecting public confidence in the placement system.
He noted that misconceptions persist around how placements are actually determined, including confusion over whether grades or raw scores are used, arguing that clearer public communication on these technical mechanics remains necessary.
On the practical steps needed to elevate Category B and C schools, Dr Anti Partey outlined a straightforward but deliberate approach, providing decent laboratories, classrooms and dormitories, alongside well-motivated teachers, arguing that improved academic performance would naturally follow sustained investment over time.
He cited the transformation of a previously little-known school, now competing among the country’s top institutions, as evidence that deliberate, concentrated investment can elevate any school’s standing within a relatively short period.
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