Since its inception in 2005, the Computerized School Placement System (CSSPS) has been hailed as a groundbreaking shift from the flawed manual school placement system. However, after 18 years of implementation, the efficacy of this system warrants a critical review.
Presently, the CSSPS has deviated from its intended purpose and has become a breeding ground for extortion. Instead of a fair and automatic placement process, parents are resorting to seeking favors from influential individuals and politicians to secure placements for their children.
The fundamental principle that children should be rewarded for their excellence is being undermined. The essence of competition and striving for excellence seems compromised. In many countries, including the UK with its grammar schools for high-performing students, such systems have proven successful. However, Ghana’s current CSSPS appears to be failing to acknowledge and reward academic excellence adequately.
Consider a scenario where a student achieves outstanding academic results but is placed in a school significantly below their capabilities and aspirations. This misalignment between merit and placement sends the wrong message to our children about the value of hard work and excellence.
The CSSPS should ideally prioritize placing students who achieve up to an aggregate of 10 into their chosen schools. Once top-tier schools reach capacity, students with an aggregate of 11 or higher can be placed elsewhere. This approach ensures that academic excellence is appropriately recognized and rewarded, fostering a culture of achievement and motivation among students.
The prevalent socialist mindset tends to propagate the idea of absolute fairness, but life, as it is, doesn’t guarantee fairness. Performance should merit recognition and reward. Teaching life skills involves instilling the value of effort, diligence, and the pursuit of excellence. The current scenario, where parents resort to undue influence or payments to secure placements, jeopardizes the competitive spirit of our youth at an early age.
The recent experiences of parents grappling with the CSSPS have been arduous and disheartening. As a nation, we cannot afford to replicate these distressing incidents year after year. Urgent revisions and improvements to the CSSPS are imperative.
It is incumbent upon our parliamentarians, representing constituents facing these challenges, to spearhead the call for a thorough review of the CSSPS. The Honorable Minister of Education, entrusted with the responsibility of shaping our educational system, must heed this call for reform.
Let’s prioritize rewarding intellectual prowess and nurturing potential among our students. Every child deserves the chance to thrive based on their abilities. The time has come to overhaul the CSSPS to reflect these values and aspirations.
