Two persons have been picked up by the Police in Accra for allegedly collecting money for placement of Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) graduates into senior high schools (SHSs) under the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS).
The Police Criminal Investigations Department named the suspects as 24-year-old Vicentia Appiah Antwi, a graduate and Suzzy Owusu, 18, unemployed.
It named the alleged offence as collecting money from victims under the false pretences of securing placement into their preferred SHSs.
It mentioned the amount collected to be between GH¢9,500 and GH¢22,000 per victim, depending on one’s choice of school.
It said the suspects named the accomplices as Nana Yaw Boateng, “a supposed medical doctor” in Kumasi, and Alex Asumani, aka Lexus.
Interrogation
The statement said the suspects were interrogated, cautioned, detained for 24 hours and granted bail yesterday, to a credible surety to assist the unit in tracing and arresting the main culprits.
“Statements have also been obtained from the two victims and their parents.
The accomplices were informed to report to the unit to assist in the investigation,” it said.
The statement said the suspects were arrested at about 1:30 p.m. by a team from the Ministry of Education, acting on directives of the sector minister, Haruna Iddrisu.
A statement issued by the Ministry of Education also said the arrests followed a report made to the minister by two BECE candidates (twins), who provided evidence alleging that the suspects had lured them into paying money in exchange for assistance with their second cycle school placement.
It said that upon receiving the information and reviewing the evidence presented, the minister promptly alerted the appropriate security authorities, leading to the arrest of the two suspects at the Resolution Centre.
Protecting parents, students
The development, it said, underscored the Ministry of Education’s commitment to protecting parents and students from individuals who seek to exploit the placement process for personal gain.
“The ministry reiterates that placement through the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) is free, and no parent or student should pay money to anyone in exchange for placement.
“The ministry is urging parents, students and the general public to remain vigilant and report suspected cases of extortion, fraud or attempts to manipulate the placement process to the appropriate authorities,” it said.
The latest arrests, it said, also reinforced the ministry’s warning that individuals who would attempt to exploit anxious parents and students during the placement exercise would be identified and dealt with in accordance with the law.
Release of placements
The ministry has repeatedly warned against the payment of money for placement into second cycle schools, saying that “placement is absolutely free”.
Following the release of this year’s placement results, the Ministry of Education indicated that 604,567 BECE graduates qualified for placement into senior high schools, senior high technical schools, and technical and vocational institutions across the country.
Of the number, 527,932 candidates were successfully placed.
It meant that approximately 87.3 per cent of qualified candidates had been placed.
“Of the candidates successfully placed, 276,521 are females, and 251,411 are males.
“This represents significant progress and demonstrates the government’s commitment to expanding access to secondary education and ensuring that every Ghanaian child has the opportunity to continue their education,” a Deputy Minister of Education, Dr Clement Apaak, said at a press conference in Accra.
An analysis of candidates’ first choice selections shows a considerable concentration of demand in the highly subscribed schools (Category A).
A total of 313,283 candidates selected Category A schools as their first choice, compared with 176,614 for Category B schools, 123,577 for Category C schools, and 995 for participating private SHSs/SHTSs,” he said.
