Extend 1st-yr SHS students reporting day – Parliament to GES

The Parliament Education Committee has called on the management of the Ghana Education Service to extend the February 20, 2023, reporting day for 2022 BECE graduates to seek admission at their various placed second-cycle schools.

Speaking on Citi FM’s EyeWitness News monitored by AcademicWeek, Ranking Member on the Education Committee, Peter Nortsu-Kotoe said the call for the reporting date extension is amid the delay in the release of the school placement.

He also said the February 20, 2023 date for first-year students to report to school will only disrupt the already stressed academic calendar which is in transition to return to the usual September to July instead of the current January to December.

“It is going to affect the 2023 school academic calendar because even February 20 is not feasible, and I am of the view that the reopening date should be on March 1, 2023,” the member of the Parliament Education Committee said.

He said the prospectus of students varies with respective schools thus ample time should be given to enable parents to raise the necessary funds to buy the needed item for their wards who will be starting their second-level education.

“What you will purchase and need to take to the school depends on the school the student will be attending, and I will advise that time should be given to give parents some relief.” Peter Nortsu-Kotoe said on the EyeWitness News show.

Meanwhile, the management of the Ghana Education Service (GES) has cautioned members of the general public, particularly 2022 BECE graduates to be wary of scammers who claim to have access to the computer placement system.

Speaking to AcademicWeek, a staff of the Service urged students who will be participating in the school placement exercise to be vigilant and disregard claims by some internet cafe operators who claim can change the placement.

“The activity of some internet cafe operators claiming to have access to the computerized placement system last year came to our notice, we urge parents and students this year to be vigilant during the school checking,” he stated.

The unscrupulous cafe operators he said lure the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) graduates to pay an amount of money for their already placed or selected Senior High School to be changed to their preferred choice.

The GES official indicated the computerized school placement system (CSSPS) portal as part of measures to ensure the smooth placement of all successful 2022 BECE students has been secured and is not possible to be compromised.

“Any person who contacts you to pay any amount of money for your placed or selected school to be changed or claims to have access to the school placement system or websites is a fraudster,” the GES staff told AcademicWeek