The Coordinator of the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS), Sherif Sulemana, has explained why English is used before Mathematics to break ties between candidates during the Senior High School (SHS) placement process.

The clarification follows concerns over how the placement system determines priority when two or more candidates have the same aggregate and are competing for places in the same school or programme.

Speaking on JoyFM's Super Morning Show on September 8, the CSSPS Coordinator said candidates are first ranked according to their aggregate scores. Their school choices, programme selections and the availability of spaces are then considered during the placement process.

Mr Sulemana explained that raw scores do not form the primary basis for placement.

Instead, raw scores are considered when candidates have the same aggregate.

For example, if one candidate obtains an aggregate 10 and another obtains an aggregate 11, the candidate with aggregate 10 will be given priority when both are seeking placement in the same school.

However, if both candidates obtain an aggregate 10, the system then uses their raw scores to determine which candidate should be ranked higher.

“If a candidate gets an aggregate 10 and another gets an aggregate 11, if candidates want to go into the same school, then preference will be given to the one with the 10,” the Coordinator explained.

He added that where both candidates have an aggregate 10, “we fall on the raw score to now differentiate who has a better grade than the other.”

Why English comes before Maths

Mr Sulemana said that if candidates have the same aggregate and the same raw score, the system applies another tie-breaking mechanism.

Under the current arrangement, the candidate with the higher raw score in English is given priority.

If the candidates also have the same raw score in English, Mathematics is then considered.

The approach has generated questions about why English is considered before Mathematics, especially for students seeking admission to programmes where Mathematics and Science-related subjects are particularly important.

Mr Sulemana  defended the current arrangement, explaining that English provides a common basis for comparing candidates.

He said English is a general subject taken by candidates across different programmes, making it possible to apply a common standard when candidates remain tied.

“We are providing an equal base for everybody,” he said.

According to him, apart from vocational subjects where candidates make specific selections and Ghanaian Language, candidates generally take the same core subjects.

He said the placement system therefore begins with the common subjects before applying further criteria where necessary.