The Computerised School Selection and Placement System process for the selection of Junior High School graduates transitioning to Senior High Schools has been tedious for both parents and prospective students every academic year.

As a measure to ease the frustration and fatigue that characterise the process, the Computerised School Selection and Placement Centre has announced an increase in the number of choices each student can make for onward placement by the computerised system.

This year, students must make up to 11 choices instead of the previous six schools they were allowed to choose for admission considerations.

The National Coordinator for the Computerised School Selection and Placement Centre, Mark Sasu Mensah, in an interview on JoyNews Desk programme explained that prospective students have to choose an initial six schools from the available 928 schools followed by an additional five from a specific cluster of schools.

A list of the schools are contained in the school registry which has been made available to all schools for selection guidance. Parents and guardians can also access it from the freeshs.net.com platform.

“This year we are reviewing the selection choice from six schools to eleven schools. This is aimed at bringing equity and fairness to the system. This will forestall the situation where students do not get posted to any school among the six selected schools which brings pressure to the Centre, the Ministry (Education), students and their parents”.

Mr Mensah added that failure of applicants to choose the compulsory five schools as well as the programmes of study and residential status for respective school choices will render the application invalid.

“It is compulsory. If you fail to select the additional five, your application becomes invalid and the system will reject it - it follows the same principles that you must select your programme and residential choice’’.

He also urged parents to take a keen interest in the school selection process for their children. The school selection process starts from 17th to 22nd of September, 2023 at the basic school level.

A total of 600,714 prospective students are expected to be placed in 928 schools across the country.