The Institute for Education Studies (IFEST) has called for a comprehensive audit and possible overhaul of Ghana’s Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS), as the Ministry of Education begins reviewing the system to enhance fairness and transparency in senior high school admissions.
The Executive Director of IFEST, Dr. Peter Anti, made the appeal following Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu’s recent visit to Presbyterian Senior High School in Accra, where the minister announced plans to set up a committee to review the CSSPS and explore credible, merit-based alternatives.
According to the minister, the review aims to correct inequities that have led to widespread frustration among students and parents during annual school placements. “The Computerized Placement System is not working well for the country, and I’m happy to review this,” he said. “Nobody would accept that you get aggregate six, and you can’t get the school of your first choice.”
Dr. Anti stressed that a technical and process audit is the essential first step toward any meaningful reform.
“The first thing that I think they need to do is to do an audit of the system,” he said. “Information we are picking indicates that there have been some changes in the original system that has been in place for some period.”
Dr. Anti explained that an independent audit would determine whether the existing software and operational processes are still fit for purpose or whether a new system must be developed. He added that such an assessment would help identify the causes of recurring challenges relating to transparency, equity, and efficiency.
Over the years, Ghana’s CSSPS has faced criticism from parents, teachers, and civil society organisations over perceived irregularities in student placements. Complaints often centre on cases where high-performing students fail to gain admission to their preferred schools, while others with lower grades secure placements through alleged backdoor arrangements.
Dr. Anti said addressing these credibility issues requires both technical improvements and policy reforms. He recommended that the Ministry of Education involve education technology experts, software developers, and independent auditors in assessing the system’s performance and security features.
Beyond the system’s technical flaws, Dr. Anti also urged policymakers to rethink the current school selection model, which requires students to choose their preferred schools before receiving their examination results.
“There should be a comprehensive review about the model of selection that we have adopted,” he said. “Most of these issues emanate from the fact that students are made to select schools before they see their results. This kind of anticipated performance is what creates the problem.”
He argued that allowing students to make school selections after the release of results would help align their choices with actual performance and reduce the disappointment that often follows the placement process.
In his announcement, Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu assured that the upcoming review would involve broad stakeholder consultations, including students, parents, teachers, and education administrators. The goal, he said, is to ensure fairness, merit, and transparency in how students are placed into senior high schools across the country.
The minister also hinted at the possibility of adopting new placement technologies and models used in other countries to enhance the integrity of the process.
The CSSPS, introduced in 2005, was designed to streamline and digitise the process of placing students into senior high and technical schools based on merit, choice, and available capacity. Over time, however, the system has faced operational and integrity challenges, including system failures, human interference, and allegations of corruption.
Education analysts have long called for reforms to restore public confidence in the process. Some have suggested integrating artificial intelligence tools to detect anomalies in placement data, while others advocate decentralising parts of the system to give regional education offices more oversight.
With the Ministry of Education’s review and IFEST’s call for a full audit, many education stakeholders are hopeful that the upcoming reforms will lead to a more transparent and reliable placement process.
Dr. Anti concluded that while Ghana’s move toward digital systems in education is commendable, success depends on constant review, accountability, and adherence to best practices.
“The audit will tell us whether we can still rely on what we have or if we need to start afresh,” he said. “Whatever the outcome, the goal must be a placement system that reflects merit, fairness, and trust.”
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