The Free Senior High School (SHS) Secretariat has announced the arrest of two individuals for manipulating the ongoing school placements.

According to the Deputy National Coordinator of the Free SHS Secretariat, Dr. Belinda Glover, these individuals lured parents into giving them money to influence placement changes.

“So far, we have about two that we have handed over to the police. Yes, and we have also announced that you can’t come here, wait more than two hours. Beyond two, you are in for business, and we are not here for business, so we will arrest you.

"You can’t tell me that you have five children going to senior high at the same time, no. And you know, we follow up, we realize that these people are just collecting money from people, and then coming here and using us instead to make money,” she explained.

This development comes shortly after several reports of bribery in the ongoing Senior High School placement. One individual, Gertrude Adzo Borklo, has claimed that the Computerised School Placement System (CSSPS), which uses the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results, is being manipulated by certain school authorities.

However, in a statement issued on Thursday, September 25, Deputy Minister for Education, Dr. Clement Abas Apaak, described the claims as false and said they were based on a “conspiratorial narrative.” The Ministry further noted that all efforts to reach out to the claimant have been futile, indicating that Gertrude Adzo Borklo’s accounts appear to have been inactive for some time.

Nonetheless, the Education Ministry is working with National Security, the Cyber Security Authority, and other agencies to track down and contact the individual. Other anonymous accounts, according to the Ministry, continue to circulate misleading claims about the school placement system.

The statement emphasised that the placement process is entirely free of charge and called on victims to complain to the Ministry through its numbers 054 154 8223 (Calls) and 024 490 8957 (WhatsApp).

“At no point is payment required to access this service. We call on members of the public to provide any information or evidence of persons, whether Ministry officials or third parties, who demand money for placements. The Ministry assures swift and decisive action against any individual found culpable,” the statement read.

The Ministry reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding the integrity of Ghana’s school placement system. There have been recent speculations that the Education Ministry solely depends on a rigid score system to place students in Senior High Schools, but the Ministry described the claims as misleading and inaccurate.

In August, Deputy Education Minister Dr. Clement Apaak emphasized that multiple factors influence how students are assigned to specific SHSs. According to an official statement signed on Saturday, August 30, the Ministry noted that the CSSPS considers the aggregate and raw scores of students, the availability of vacancies in schools, and the popularity of specific programmes.

The statement added that the Ministry does not demand or accept rewards from parents or guardians to guarantee placement, as speculated.

“The Ministry confirms that this information is not only false but also maliciously misleading. The placement is based on a combination of factors, including aggregate and raw scores, availability of vacancies in the various schools, and programmes of study. Limited vacancies and high competition can affect placement. The Ministry unequivocally states that no form of payment or inducement is required or solicited from parents, guardians, or their representatives for the purpose of securing placement.

"All interactions with the Ministry and Ghana Education Service (GES) officials are expected to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and transparency. The public is advised to be cautious and report any cases of extortion or bribery attempts related to student placements. Stakeholders are encouraged to report miscreants to the nearest police station," parts of the statement read.

The Ministry’s clarification was a rebuttal to claims that the system solely depends on a rigid score framework. Meanwhile, parents and prospective SHS students have lodged complaints over misplaced placements and difficulties accessing schools of choice. Others raised concerns about being assigned to schools far from preferred locations despite meeting required grades.

On September 19, Deputy Education Minister Dr. Clement Apaak called for calm following reports of technical glitches in the placement process. During a visit to the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) Hall in Accra, he assured parents and students that all Senior High School placements would be finalized soon.

“It’s a process. It has not ended. Be patient and be reassured that we anticipated a number of challenges, and that is why we decided to set a reporting date that gives you enough time and gives us enough time to address all the issues. So be assured that by the time our wards are expected to report, which is around this same time next month, October 18, many of these issues, if not all, will be resolved,” he added.

On Wednesday, September 17, the GES opened the CSSPS portal to allow prospective SHS students to access their designated schools. As per a circular dated September 17, signed by the Acting Deputy Director-General for Quality and Access at GES, Dr. Munawaru Isshaque, freshers will report to their designated schools from October 18.

The statement warned school authorities against enrolling students outside the placement list generated by the CSSPS Secretariat, stressing the need for transparency and impartiality during registration.

“Admission of students should strictly follow the placement list generated by the CSSPS Secretariat. No school is permitted to admit students outside the official placement without prior written approval from GES,” parts of the circular read.

A total of 483,800 students have been placed into various SHSs across the country out of 590,000 candidates. The school placement portal opened on Monday, September 1, for new entrants to verify their school choices, biodata, and other relevant information ahead of final placement. The fact-checking exercise closed on Monday, September 8. Of the placed students, 248,038 are females (51.4%) and 234,783 are males (48.6%).

However, 107,509 candidates (18.2%) could not be matched with their initial school choices due to high demand for certain Category A schools.