Ghana Should Do Something About Their School Placement System

 

Ghana Should Do Something About Their School Placement System

Ama had always been a bright student. From her early days in class one, her teachers constantly praised her for her intelligence, discipline, and determination. She came from a humble home in the Central Region, where her parents, both traders, made daily sacrifices just to keep her in school and provide her with textbooks, uniforms, and sometimes even candles to study at night when the electricity went out.

In her final year of junior high school, Ama doubled down on her efforts. She studied every night, attended extra classes, and kept her eyes on the goal — to pass her BECE with flying colors and get placed into one of her dream senior high schools: Wesley Girls’, Holy Child, or Mfantsiman Girls.

When the BECE results were finally released, her family rejoiced. Ama had scored aggregate 14 — a solid performance. Her family began preparing for the next step: checking the Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) to see where she had been placed.

But then, the unexpected happened.

When they entered her index number into the placement system portal, the message appeared:

"You have not been placed in any of your selected schools. You can now do self-placement."

What? How could that be? Ama had aggregate 14 — and friends of hers who scored 18 or even 22 were placed in schools. Her family tried again and again, but the website wouldn’t open. Sometimes it crashed. Other times it simply refused to load. And when it did, it repeated the same heartbreaking message.

Ama’s mother burst into tears. Her father, who had barely saved enough for her school admission fees, was stunned. They took a trip to Accra, hoping to get answers at the CSSPS resolution center, but they were met with thousands of other frustrated parents and students, all seeking help, all confused, all angry.

Why does this keep happening? Why does a child who has done her part — studied hard, passed well — get rejected by a system that is supposed to reward merit? Why is the system telling her she has “no automatic placement” when she clearly qualifies?

This is not just Ama’s story. This is the story of thousands of Ghanaian students each year. The school placement system is broken, and Ghana must do something about it.

The CSSPS, though well-intended, has turned into a source of pain and disappointment for many families. Instead of celebrating academic success, many are left feeling punished. The system fails to account for the human element — the tears, the hope, the sacrifice behind every grade.

More frustratingly, the placement system often malfunctions, with students unable to access the portal for hours or days. Those without access to internet cafés, smartphones, or digital literacy are left completely behind, especially in rural areas.

Then comes the injustice of self-placement. Students with good grades are told to choose from schools that were never on their list — some miles away, or with poor facilities, or not offering the courses they want. What message are we sending? That your hard work doesn’t matter? That your dreams are optional?

It is time for Ghana to take a serious look at this system. We can’t keep putting students and families through this emotional rollercoaster year after year. Reforms must be made — not just small adjustments, but a full overhaul that prioritizes fairness, transparency, and accessibility.

Here are a few things Ghana can do:

1. Fix the system's infrastructure – The placement website should be strong enough to handle traffic without crashing.

2. Transparency in placement criteria – Students should know why they didn’t get placed in their choices, especially when their grades qualify them.

3. Prioritize merit – A student with aggregate 14 should not be told there's “no space” when others with higher aggregates are placed.

4. Better communication – GES should provide timely updates and set up regional support centers to avoid chaos at central offices.

5. Equitable opportunities for all – Students in rural and underserved communities should not be left behind due to digital divides.

Ama is just one voice among many. Her pain is shared by countless others who are losing faith in a system that should be helping them build their future. If Ghana wants to truly champion quality education, then the very first step is to fix how we place our students into schools.

The youth are the future — they deserve better.

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