SHS Placement Challenges: NDC Sacked All CSSPS Staff Employed Under NPP – Dr Adutwum
Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum says the NPP introduced measures including call centres and resolution centres to ease SHS placement challenges and wants the Education Ministry to strengthen the system.
- Adutwum says the NPP stabilised the SHS placement system.
- He calls for more call centres and staff at resolution centres.
- He blames teacher shortages for part of the challenges affecting student performance.
Former Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has attributed some of the current challenges surrounding the Senior High School (SHS) placement process to changes in personnel at the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS).
According to him, the NPP administration stabilised the SHS placement system and implemented several measures to reduce the pressure on parents and students during the placement exercise.
Speaking in an interview with Kwame Tanko on the Ghana Se Sen Morning Show on Lawson TV/Radio, Dr Adutwum claimed that the NDC administration had sacked all CSSPS staff who were employed under the NPP government.
He said the NPP government introduced measures including a short code, call centres and resolution centres to make the placement process easier for parents and their wards.
Dr Adutwum argued that these interventions helped prevent the kind of confusion and public frustration often associated with the SHS placement exercise.
He has therefore called on the Ministry of Education to urgently establish more call centres and increase the number of personnel at resolution centres to assist parents and students facing challenges with their placements.
Teacher Shortage Affecting Student Performance
Dr Adutwum also linked concerns about students’ academic performance to the shortage of teachers in schools.
He claimed that there are currently about 30,000 classrooms without teachers, leaving many students without adequate access to teaching.
He further cited Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu’s statement in Parliament that the ministry requires about 50,000 teachers, but has so far received clearance for only 7,000.
Dr Adutwum stressed that addressing the teacher shortage should be a priority if Ghana is serious about improving academic performance and ensuring effective teaching and learning in SHSs.
