CSSPS: VPWA makes recommendations to gov’t & parents after investigations

Ghana Education Service has been advised to educate and sensitize the general public about choosing Senior High Schools and the registration process to avoid the chaos that has characterized this year’s school placement in the future.

Volunteer Partnership for West Africa (VPWA), a volunteer driven NGO based in Ghana has been investigating the circumstances surrounding the massing up of parents and their wards at the Black Star Square in search of appropriate placement of their wards in Senior High Schools.

In a statement issued by VPWA, the NGO advised the government to institute measures to “make up for the lost contact hours for students who are experiencing delayed placement”.

VPWA also used their statement to entreat parents and children to accept placement in any school they are placed, to reduce pressure on the heads of endowed schools.

Volunteer Partnership for West Africa (VPWA) is a volunteer driven NGO based in Ghana, established in 2007. VPWA aims at promote better life opportunities for underprivileged communities through sustainable initiatives.

Please read the full statement below:

CROWD AT INDEPENDENCE SQUARE, UNNECESSARY – VPWA

Visit to some schools in Ashanti and Eastern Region by Volunteer Partnerships for West Africa (VPWA) has shown a calm enrolment process by first year students. The monitoring visit became necessary due to nationwide media sentiments around the Computerized Placement Process due to the mismatch in choice of schools.

Our preliminary investigation has revealed the following:

1. Some parents and students were unaware of the implications of their school choice.
2. Insufficient explanation and communication on the part of duty bearers in reaching out to the nation ahead of the release of placement
3. We can also confirm that, most students indeed have placement and the few who have issues bothers on their desire to change schools base on proximity to home and swap in boarding/day.

However, if proper strategy is not urgently put in place this situation will create a fertile ground for corruption leading to the emergence of “admission contractors” who will parade the corridors of endowed schools and to extort sums of money from parents of children who qualify and have already been placed. The lack of extensive public education before the release of the placement resulted in the seeming unnecessary crowd.

RECOMMENDATIONS

• It is the recommendation of VPWA that, to avoid these occurrences in the future, GES will have to invest in public education and sensitization during the school choice and registration ahead of the writing the BECE.
• While we acknowledge the enormous infrastructure development in second cycle schools, we entreat parents and children to accept placement in any school where they are placed to reduce the pressure on the heads of endowed schools.
• Finally, we call on government to institute remedial measures to make up for the lost contact hours for students who will experience delayed placement