The Ghana National Association of Private Schools(GNAPS) has called on the government to scrap the 30 percent priority placement for students from public schools policy by the Computerised Schools Selection Placement System (CSSPS).
According to GNAPS, the system is unfair to students from private Junior High schools.
“In its current form, the CSSPS lacks three main ingredients of democratic school policy implementation: transparency, fairness and equity,” a statement signed by the association’s president, Dr Damasus Tuurosong said.
The statement cited the story of a student from a private school and explained its reason for calling for the abolishment of the 30 percent system.
“Beatrice (not her real name) exemplifies the plight of hundreds of children who complete privately-owned junior high schools in Ghana. For three years, she did everything that a good student must: attended classes faithfully, read her books, wrote her exams etc.
“Her dream was to make good grades and progress to one of the Grade A senior high schools in the country and eventually graduate from a tertiary institution with a profession that secures her a comfortable livelihood. She emerged from the BECE with excellent grades, 9 straight Grade 1’s. After so much toil and sweat and in spite of her excellent grades, the CSSPS did not place Beatrice in her first choice school, Wesley Girls Senior High School,” the association narrated.
It added that Beatrice’s neighbour from another school who got aggregate 19 was placed in a Grade A senior high school of her choice.
“Where is the fairness? Beatrice’s only crime is that she attended a private junior high school, while her friend who got placed in an A-graded senior high school, attended a public school.”
GNAPS noted that Beatrice’s case was not in isolation as many students across the country who had enviable results ” were shortchanged in the school placement process.”
The association, therefore, called on “all apostles of a just, fair and equitable education system to rise up and join GNAPS, and in one clarion call, demand an abolition of the obnoxious 30 percent priority placement policy.”