The National Youth Organizer of the People’s National Convention (PNC), Mark Ewusi Arkoh, has backed the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, in the controversy about protocol lists for the computerized school selection and placement (CSSPS).
According to him, the computerized school placement should not be scrapped despite concerns being raised about bribery and corruption with the list. He indicated that protocol in the computerized placement system cannot be sited as part of the reason people have been defrauded.
Contained in a statement on Friday, February 3, 2023, Mr Arkoh stated that the scrapping of the protocol list may affect development in education “if care is not taken”.
“So far as I am concerned, protocol list is basically awarded or given to people who merit it and not the goro boys as claimed. One greatest opportunity given to many students from deprived areas who never may afford to access top schools are through the intervention of protocol list given to them through their chiefs and some clergy men including leading political actors. I therefore disagree to calls suggesting that school placement protocol should be scrapped.”
Mark Ewusi Arkoh
Furthermore, the PNC youth organizer urged Ghanaians to support the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service (GES) “to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the alleged bribery that took place”.
“We cannot run down the good works of the Minister of Education just because someone has taken bribe. I, therefore, call on well-meaning Ghanaians to support the minister, Dr Yaw Adutwum, and the Ministry to deliver their responsibilities as a contribution to Ghana’s development.”
Mark Ewusi Arkoh
Following ‘The Fourth Estate’ exposé on corruption in the Computerized Selection School Placement System (CSSPS), Education Minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, has expressed gratitude to the team. He revealed that the exposé would help make his work better.
Dr Adutwum stated that his outfit is reviewing the documentary and would respond appropriately. He assured that persons found complicit in the exposé with be dealt with as he promises to work with the relevant security agencies.
Reactions to ‘School Placement for Sale’ investigations
Prior to this, Executive Director of Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch), Kofi Asare, disclosed that the Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Education denied a Right To Information (RTI) request from his outfit to access data on school placements from the Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS).
According to him, following some petitions from concerned stakeholders including parents and schools’ heads about issues emerging from the CSSPS, Eduwatch had initiated the RTI request to assess the effectiveness and equity of same.
The purpose of the request, Mr Asare explained, was to ascertain whether government was indeed living up to its promise of allocating 30% of school placements in Category A schools to students from public basic schools. He noted that access to such data would help Eduwatch “to conduct research and advise government on how best to improve its own policy’s effectiveness through transparency”.
The ‘School Placement for Sale’ documentary captures parents, guardians, and officials in charge of school placement, making deals to put wards in desired institutions.
In the latest Fourth Estate documentary, it was discovered that some persons have been collecting bribes from parents who want their children to be placed in Category A schools. So far, eight persons exposed in the documentary have been arrested by the police.
According to editor-in-chief at ‘The Fourth Estate’, Manasseh Azure, the suspects have been charged and arraigned. He, however, stated that two others are at large. The investigative documentary was by Adwoa Adobea-Owusu and Evans Aziamor-Mensah of The Fourth Estate.
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