Abolish protocol system in the computerised school selection process – Ablakwa

Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa wants government to abolish the protocol system in the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS).

Mr Ablakwa’s call comes in reaction to The Fourth Estate documentary, “School placement for Sale”, which chronicled how some individuals sold the school placement slot to some category ‘A’ schools for as much as GHC20,000.

In an interview on JoyNews’ AM Show on Tuesday, the legislator said, the only sure way to deal with the problem is to abolish the protocol system.

According to him, there is no need for such a system, adding that placement into Senior High Schools should be merit-based.
“There is absolutely no reason that this should happen. When we [NDC] were at the Ministry, we announced no protocol and Professor Naana Jane Opoku Agyeman was very passionate about it.

“When you create protocol systems that is where it leads to. We must abolish protocol and let everything be based on merit. Remove the window for human interface. We say we are doing a computerised system, so let it be computerised.”

But explaining the need for such a system on GTV’s Breakfast show on Monday, the Education Minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum said for the past years, there has been a special protocol in the school selection placement system for key stakeholders like chiefs, churches and old students who contribute to the development of the various secondary schools and in some cases, founders of the schools.

He stressed, however, that the Ministry will not accept anything that would undermine the protocol aspect of the school placement system.

“The Church- Presbyterian Church, how do I tell the Moderator that the School that you founded and continue to fund and provide resources, and you want five or 10 students to go there I won’t allow you?

“So it is a system that we came to inherit. Unfortunately, people are using dubious means to get access to something that has been set aside for these key supporters of education in the country, it has to be stopped and that is why I embrace the documentary,” he noted.

Meanwhile, the Education Ministry says measures have been put in place to prevent fraud in the school placement system as it warns parents and guardians against aiding the fraudsters.

Source: www.myjoyonline.com