The Ministry of Education has urged parents, guardians, and members of the public to report anyone demanding money in connection with the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS).

Press Secretary to the Minister for Education, Hashmin Mohammed, made the call when he spoke on the JoyNews News Desk programme on Tuesday, September 15, as concerns over allegations of people paying money to secure school placements continue to surface.

Addressing the issue, Mr Mohammed reiterated the Ministry’s position that placement is based on merit and that parents, guardians, and students are not required to pay money to secure a placement.

“As we have stated in the press statement that we have issued, placement is based on merit. No parent, no guardian, or a student need not pay any money to any Ministry of Education official,” he said.

He stressed that no payment should be made to officials of the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Education Service (GES), Ghana Technical and Vocational Education and Training (Ghana TVET), or the CSSPS in exchange for placement.

Mr Mohammed urged parents who encounter a person demanding money in connection with the placement exercise to report the matter to the appropriate law enforcement agency.

“If you encounter anyone demanding that money, we want to encourage the general public to report such a person to the appropriate law enforcement agency so that such people can be dealt with,” he said.

He acknowledged that allegations of payments for school placements continue to emerge in the public space but said the ministry faces difficulties investigating such claims when complainants or those with information do not provide evidence or cooperate with investigators.

According to him, the Ministry of Education alone cannot effectively address the issue without the support of members of the public.

“The Ministry of Education alone will not be able to deal with this issue until the general public also cooperates with us,” he added.

He therefore called for members of the public to provide concrete information whenever they make allegations of payments for school placements.

“We need the cooperation of the general public,” he stressed.

He explained that successful investigations and prosecutions would help demonstrate the Ministry’s commitment to maintaining fairness in the placement process.

“All the time when this issue comes, we make the call. We have interest in that issue because we just need people to use them as an example to demonstrate to the country or to demonstrate to parents and guardians how committed we are to the fairness of the system,” he said.

He encouraged parents and guardians who encounter demands for payment during the placement process to report them rather than rely on unverified claims.