Frustration over this year’s Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) is deepening in the Ashanti Region, after about 14 female students from JoyJeff Academy were reportedly listed as males on their placement records.

The error has had serious consequences for the affected students, particularly those who selected girls-only senior high schools and expected to secure placement in their preferred institutions based on their examination results.

Instead, some of the students have reportedly been placed in schools they ranked lower, while others have been directed to institutions that do not correspond with the gender of the schools they selected.

The Headmaster of JoyJeff Academy, Stephen Osei Asare, said the affected students had obtained aggregates between 11 and 12, scores which, in his view, should have given them a reasonable chance of securing their second or third choices.

He said the students are now distressed because an apparent error in their gender information has affected their placement outcomes.

“We have about 14 girls who had aggregates of 11 and 12. They could at least have gotten their third or second choices, but their gender has been changed and they have been placed in boys’ schools,” Mr Asare said.

He explained that many of the affected students specifically chose single-sex girls’ schools, making the gender error particularly damaging to their placement.

According to the headmaster, he has been at the resolution centre at Kumasi Technical Institute (KTI) since morning in an attempt to have the cases resolved.

He said officials at the centre have asked him to print the placement slips of all the affected students before his concerns can be addressed.

Mr Asare attributed some of the challenges to what he described as a limited registration period and weaknesses in the placement system, arguing that schools had inadequate time to verify students’ information before the final placements were released.

He expressed concern that the rush to release the placements may have contributed to errors that are now affecting students and parents.

He called on the Ghana Education Service to review and strengthen the placement process to prevent similar challenges in future.

The situation has added to growing concerns surrounding this year’s CSSPS exercise, with the resolution centre continuing to receive large numbers of parents and candidates seeking assistance.

The development comes on the third day after the release of the CSSPS placements, with parents and candidates reporting a range of difficulties, including pending placements, incorrect student information and challenges with securing their preferred schools.

For the affected JoyJeff Academy students, however, the immediate priority is correcting their gender records and ensuring that the error does not permanently affect their placement or official education records.

Parents and school authorities are now awaiting intervention from the relevant education authorities to resolve the cases and ensure that the affected students are placed in schools consistent with their academic results and choices.