Every September, thousands of Ghanaian families are thrown into anxiety as the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) releases its list of senior high school placements. What should be a celebration of hard work and opportunity has become a season of confusion, frustration, and allegations of corruption. This year alone, more than 107,000 students were left unplaced and directed to use the self-placement module, sparking long queues and heated exchanges at resolution centres across the country.
Originally launched in 2005 to bring transparency and fairness to school placements, CSSPS was hailed as a game-changer. The system was designed to replace human discretion with technology, ensuring that merit and choice determined outcomes. For a while, parents believed the process was working. However, over time, complaints of bribery, protocol admissions, and manipulation have resurfaced, threatening the system’s credibility and fairness.
Experts say the problem goes beyond technology. Ghana’s deep-rooted obsession with a handful of elite schools—such as Wesley Girls, Achimota, and Prempeh College—has created a desperate scramble every year. With limited slots available, parents are often willing to pay large sums or rely on “connections” to secure placement. Middlemen and insiders have taken advantage of this desperation, feeding a growing perception that the system can be rigged with cash and influence.
Despite periodic investigations and warnings from the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service, accountability remains weak. Few of these probes produce public results or lead to prosecution, leaving many to believe that those involved in such corrupt practices are untouchable. Meanwhile, political interference persists, with “protocol slots” allegedly used to reward party loyalists and influential figures.
Education stakeholders, including Dr. Mantey Jectey-Nyarko of the Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS), have called for deeper reforms. They propose publishing school cut-off points and protocol admission data, investing in regional schools to ease pressure on elite institutions, and ensuring that those caught selling placements are named and prosecuted. Transparency, they argue, is the only way to restore public trust in the system.
After nearly two decades, the CSSPS stands at a crossroads. While it has expanded access to secondary education, its image has been tainted by recurring scandals. Without firm political will and a commitment to openness, the system risks losing its moral authority, turning what was once a symbol of fairness into the very “hen that lays the corrupt golden eggs.”
Read the full statement below !
Is the CSSPS still the Hen that lays the Golden Eggs?
Mantey Jectey-Nyarko (Ph.D) – Director for Training and Monitoring, Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS)
Central Theme:
Despite its initial promise to ensure fairness and transparency in placing BECE graduates into senior high schools, the CSSPS continues to be mired in allegations of corruption, manipulation, and “protocol” admissions.
Key Highlights:
1. Annual Chaos:
Every September, after BECE results, families face anxiety, long queues, and rumours of bribery or “connections.”
2. Persistent Challenges:
Over 107,000 students unplaced this year — forcing many into the self-placement module amid allegations of insider manipulations.
3. Origins and Intent:
Introduced in 2005 to end opaque, manual placement practices and promote merit-based selection.
4. Erosion of Trust:
Reports of bribes, protocol slots, and special fees have undermined confidence in the system.
5. Underlying Problem:
Ghana’s fixation with elite schools (Achimota, Wesley Girls, Prempeh College, etc.) fuels desperation and exploitation.
6. Weak Accountability:
Investigations rarely lead to public sanctions, sustaining perceptions of corruption.
7. Suggested Reforms:
Publish cut-off points and protocol data for transparency.
Improve quality across all schools to reduce scramble for elite ones.
Follow through with prosecutions for corrupt officials.
Depoliticize the system by ending protocol influence.
8. Political Will Lacking:
Both NDC and NPP governments promise reform but benefit from the same patronage system.
9. Core Message:
CSSPS can only regain credibility through transparency, accountability, and fairness.
10. Closing Thought:
Without deep reform, the system remains “the hen that lays the corrupt golden eggs.”
