Following the malfunctioning of the self-placement module of the school placement system and the inability of BECE graudates to be placed, 2024 BECE graudates and parents invaded the Free SHS Secretariat for the past 48 hours over self-placement challenges.
Despite having grades and raw scores that were sufficient for placement, many candidates were unable to access the self-placement module, while others received no placement at all.
Frustrated parents and their wards had no option but to visit the Free SHS Secretariat in person to vent their frustrations to the officials at the post.
Speak to the media at the Free SHS Secretariat. Deputy Cordinator Mrs. Nana Afra Sika Mensah assured parents that the secretariat will resolve the issues and place their wards. She pledged to resolve the challenges within 72 hours, enabling their wards to secure placement. This implies that they won’t address the issues until Monday, 4th November.
The Free SHS Secretariat has been receiving complaints in person for the past three days due to the lack of available call centre lines, which has been a common practice in the past.
In response to the challenges and reports from parents and BECE graduates, Madam Bernice Mpre Gyakye, the National Coordinator of the Ghana National Education Campaign Coilation, emphasized that the Free SHS Secretariat needs to expedite its procedures to ensure timely placement of unplaced candidates, enabling them to prepare for school.
According to the GES, SHS1 students will begin their academic work for semester 1 of the 2024-2025 academic year on November 7th, 2024. The delays will prevent the affected students from reporting to school as expected. She further stated that it is extremely upsetting for impacted students to witness their peers enrolling and preparing for school while their own future remains uncertain.
She added that the school placement system placed the majority of students in schools, but the time allocated for parents to prepare their wards for school is short. Since some children remain un-placed, they are now opting for self-placement. Student placement in day schools far from home has also occurred. She noted that many of these students reside outside the school’s catchment area, necessitating their visits to the Free SHS Secretariat for necessary adjustments.
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According to her, the process will delay the reporting date of the affected students.
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