The Computerized School
Selection and Placement System which is mandated to place qualified BECE
Candidates in various senior high schools since 2005, has exclusively initiated
a new system placement mechanism that is really going to curb the various
challenges experienced last year.
In an exclusive interview
on Joy Learning’s InFocus segment, the national coordinator for CSSPS Mr. Mark
Sasu Mensah unveiled that, this year’s 552,228 candidates who registered for
the BECE will be successfully placed into 912 schools including TVET, only if
they qualify.
With an increase in last
year’s 726 schools, CSSPS is ready to place every qualified candidate according
to how he/she has carefully chosen the schools and the program to be offered
not forgetting the results performance. He emphasized that public sensitization
has begun already to help parents and their wards on the selection of schools
and programs which starts on 31st October to 18th November 2022
Throwing more light on
the Cluster-Based System Initiative, the National Coordinator unveiled that,
some of the last year’s challenges made the Minister of Education Hon Dr. Yaw
Adutwum come up with the (CBS) after a challenge of 3000 candidates with the
grade between 6-15 didn’t get any of their 6 school choices while there were
vacancies.
He emphasized that
Cluster Based System will be an effective solution to this and it’s an optional
choice during the school selection but if the candidate chooses yes, it will
apply to incase he/she didn’t get a school from the first choice.
For instance, when a
candidate chooses School “A” as the first choice and he/she has chosen Yes for
the Cluster-Based System (CBS), the candidate has the choice to select Cluster
1, Cluster 2, Cluster 3, etc. In Cluster 1, there are four (4) schools to
choose from. Cluster 2 has seven (7) schools etc. so if a candidate doesn’t get
his/her first choice any of the selected clusters will be given.
SAMPLE
CLUSTER 1
1) Sunyani SHS
2) St James SHS
3) Brekum SHS
4) Our Lady of Providence
Girls
Mr. Mark added that the
Placement process is done by software but not manually and we use the Bio-data,
School or Program Choice, Results, and the vacancies declared by the senior
high schools to place a candidate.
This year, each candidate
will also choose from the following categories…
Category A – only 1
school within 86 schools
Category B – maximum of 2
schools within 264 schools
Category C – maximum of 5
schools within 562 schools
Category D – compulsory
selection within 120 Day/Boarding schools.
He also added that four
categories of candidates are usually placed in the various senior high school
which is Regular candidates (BECE), Private candidates (BECE), Foreign
Students, and Re-entry Students.
CSSPS National
Coordinator Mr. Mark Sasu Mensah finally stated that no matter where a
candidate is placed, he/she must go with joy and brighten the corner.
STORY BY AGBLEY OTENG
EMMANUEL (Wofa Emma Jnr)