There's visible frustration at the GNAT Hall in Accra as the resolution of challenges with the CSSPS enters its third day, with anxious parents and candidates continuing to throng the Greater Accra Placement Resolution Centre in search of solutions to their placement challenges.

Some frustrated parents spent the night at the facility and returned at dawn, determined to secure assistance after failing to resolve their concerns on previous days.

The centre has recorded a surge in parents and candidates seeking help with issues ranging from unsuccessful placement and school selection difficulties to requests to change placements from day to boarding and vice versa.

For many of those gathered, the long queues and extended waiting periods have added to the anxiety, with some parents saying they have had to spend hours, and in some cases the night, at the car park in the hope of getting their children’s placement issues resolved.

A frustrated parent seeking to resolve his son’s school placement challenge says he was forced to spend the night at the GNAT Hall car park with his child after waiting for hours without receiving assistance.

The parent said his son was initially placed at Apam Day Senior High School in the Central Region as a day student, but after reporting to the school, they were directed to the GNAT Hall in Accra to address the placement issue.

Determined to have the matter resolved, he said he left home on Tuesday at about 3 a.m. and arrived at the placement centre around 4 a.m. the following day.

However, despite arriving early, he said the large crowd at the centre made it difficult for officials to attend to everyone.

According to him, officials began attending to parents around 8 a.m. and asked those seeking to change their wards’ placement from day to boarding to provide their reasons in writing on their form sheets.

He said he submitted the required information and, together with other parents, was asked to wait for further assistance.

But after waiting throughout the day, the parents were eventually told to return the next day, which is today, Wednesday.

With the placement issue still unresolved, the parent said he had no option but to remain at the centre with his son.

“I left home as early as 3 a.m. and got here at 4 a.m. The officials started work around 8 a.m. We were asked to write our reasons for changing from day to boarding. After collecting the forms, they told us to wait.”

“I came early today and pleaded with them to attend to us. So I am still waiting,” he said.

The parent said he and his son eventually slept in the car park of the GNAT Hall.

His experience highlights the growing frustration among parents at the CSSPS placement centre, with some reportedly arriving at the facility at dawn to secure assistance.

The demand for changes from day to boarding placements has emerged as one of the major concerns confronting parents, many of whom are seeking adjustments to their children’s residential status.

Calls for more centres

The affected parents are calling for more placement resolution centres to be established across Greater Accra to reduce congestion and shorten waiting times.

They are also demanding improved communication and the deployment of more personnel to handle the volume of cases.