GES answers 14 frequently asked school placement questions

The management of the Ghana Education Service (GES) as part of efforts to help the general public better understand the computerized school placement system has answered some frequently asked school placement questions.

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Answers to the frequently asked questions about school placement come after parents of students who sat for the 31st edition of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) said this year’s school placement was not free and fair.

Some parents who spoke to EducationWeb last week after the Ghana Education Service opened the placement portal for students to check their schools said they were not satisfied with this academic year’s school placement process.

“I don’t understand how the placement is. How can someone get an aggregate of 25, 30, 42, 26 and get school and someone get 7, 15, 17, 20, 21 and didn’t get school? we need more explanations for this,” a concerned citizen stated.

A parent on social media also quizzed “how can a BECE graduate with grade 22, not get automatic placement but someone with grade 45 secure automatic placement while self placing the one with an aggregate of 22?”

GES answers 15 frequently asked school placement questions

1. Can I change a school I selected through self-placement? Yes, a candidate who gets placed in a school through self-placement can change the school on the portal so long as that candidate has not enrolled in a school.

2. Can a student change residential status or programme of study after placement? No, a candidate usually gets placed into a particular school based on their preferred programme and residential status they choose.

A candidate competes for a slot in a particular school based on the preferences provided. Therefore neither the residential status nor the programme of study can be changed.

3. I had a grammar school but I now feel like doing a course in TVET. Can I reapply and be chosen? Yes, you stand a chance given the availability of vacancies after the automatic placement.

4. Can a person change school after enrolment? No, the placement process ends once a candidate begins the admission process by going to the school to complete relevant forms. Any movement from one school to another is considered a transfer. A student can only transfer after one academic year.

5. Do I have to pay anything when I get to the school? No, you don’t have to pay anything.

6. Can a candidate with a good grade miss out on their first, second or all of their choices? Yes, all spaces in the schools are competitively filled taking into consideration the available spaces in the school (programme & residential status).

Qualified candidates are ranked from the highest score to the lowest and the total vacancies declared for what programme determines the number to be placed. The rest of the candidates are moved to their choice.

7. I was enrolled in a school but my name can no longer be found on their system. What can be done? If indeed a candidate was enrolled in a particular school but the details can no longer be found on the school’s system, the Head of the school will formally report to the appropriate office for redress. The candidate should not be sent away from the school.

8. Is it possible for someone who did not choose a particular school to be placed into that school? NO. It is not possible during the automatic placement process. However, a candidate can get placed into a school through ‘protocol placement procedures.

9. The head of the school I want my child/ward to attend says there is space in the school. Can the child be placed there on this basis? NO. Schools have established ways of communicating with authorities.

Placement is done on the basis of the vacancies declared by the schools. Once those vacancies have been filled by the CSSPS in that school, we are unable to do any further placements in the school.

10. I selected and was placed in a school that was on my list of school choices. Can I change to another school? NO. You cannot change to another school if the school was one of the six schools you chose.

11. Is it possible for someone with aggregate 7 not to get access to a particular school but someone with aggregate 10 can get into same school? YES. Programmes selected and residential status may differ from one candidate to the other. Therefore, the competition for slots may differ.

For instance, in most cases, the Science programme of study is highly competitive over other programmes, and so is a Boarding accommodation status over a Day Status.

12. A candidate with Aggregate 10 got placed on a particular Programme and residential status and yet another with Aggregate 8 did not, even though they chose the same programme and residential statuses. How is this possible? There is a protocol system of placement that allocates 5% of a school’s declared vacancies to the school for allocation to its stakeholders.

It is, therefore, possible for the ward of alumni or a staff member of the school to get admission ahead of another child seeking admission at the same school. Other stakeholders include the Missions and the Traditional Seats of the relevant school.

Talented candidates such as those good in Sports may also be considered by a school for some of its protocol slots. Similarly, 30% of spaces in the country’s top 71 schools have been reserved for candidates from public Junior High Schools. As such, candidates from Public Basic Schools across the country compete for 30% of the space. Hence, the competition for the 60% is different from the competition for the 30%. Additionally

13. Can I be enrolled into a school when I or a representative of mine is not present? NO. For enrolment to be successful, the school will need the student’s unique ID, address and details of their parents or guardian, and phone number.

Once a candidate or parent/guardian submits their forms to the school placed, the school uses the information provided on the forms to enrol the candidate. Therefore, it is not possible for a school to get all such personal information about a candidate without the candidate or a representative is present in the school.

14. I missed out on all my six choices. What do I do? Candidates who miss out on all their choices after the automatic placement system is done, still have the opportunity to select schools with vacancies available through the Self-placement process.