Your investigation will make my job better - Education Minister thanks The Fourth Estate

Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, the Minister of Education has said that the investigative report by The Fourth Estate that exposed fraud in the Computerised Selection School Placement System (CSSPS) will make his work easier.

He expressed gratitude to the media organization for undertaking the undercover work to unearth the bribery and corruption that were being perpetrated by some officials in connivance with some parents of students who seek admission into Senior High Schools.

The documentary dubbed “School Placement for Sale” revealed how parents and guardians of students pay huge monies to the officials in charge of the CSSPS to have their wards placed into their favourite grade A schools.

The fraudulent activities have denied students who qualified and duly deserved admission into such schools the opportunity while others who didn’t merit it got admitted.

“I just want to say upfront that I am appreciative of the fact that an organisation is taking the time to help make my job better,” Dr Adutwum said in an interview on GTV’s Morning Show on Monday in reaction to the expose.

READ ALSO: Police arrest 8 people over Computerized School Selection and Placement System fraud

He vowed to use every means possible to eradicate the canker, saying it endangers the educational system.

“If this is going on, there is a cartel. It has to be stopped and I will work with security agencies to make sure this does not happen under me as the Minister for Education. Free SHS is not for sale, so if anybody thinks they can manipulate the system and do something untoward, it has to be stopped.”

It came to light following the undercover work of The Fourth Estate’s Adwoa Adobea-Owusu and Evans Aziamor-Mensah that the CSPSS was fraught with bribery and corruption rather than being implemented based on merit.

Placements into category A schools, according to the expose, were sold in 2022 even though approval for such placements was limited to only the Minister of Education and Director-General of the Ghana Education Service.

The documentary revealed that 10% of slots are usually reserved for protocol placements.

The investigation further revealed that some parents paid up to 20,000 cedis to get their children enrolled in top-tier senior high schools, while some people pay as much as 10,000 cedis to maintain a slot.

The CSSPS was introduced to eliminate corruption in the placement system, but some private individuals and government officials have connived to undermine the system.

Meanwhile, the immediate past Director-General of the GES, Professor Kwasi Opoku Amankwah has accepted responsibility for the rot, saying he and the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Adutwum should be held accountable.

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