SHS placement out

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has released the placement of Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates into senior high, technical and vocational schools.

The rollout which went live last night, followed rigorous work by officials of the GES to ensure that the exercise went live.

When the Daily Graphic visited the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) Centre, officials of the GES were busily putting their acts together.

Successful placement

Last Friday, management of the GES announced that the 2020 CSSPS into senior high, technical and vocational schools, would be live yesterday, February 28, 2021.

It said out of the total number of 533,693 registered candidates, 494,530 candidates qualified to be placed.

Automatically placed

In all, 343,264 candidates have automatically been placed in one of their choices, while 151,266 qualified candidates could not be matched with any of their choices.

A statement signed by the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the GES, Ms Cassandra Twum Ampofo, said “all such students are therefore to do self-placement to select from available schools.

“To access the placement platform, candidates are to obtain a placement pin code from an approved vendor, log onto the site www.cssps.gov.gh, enter the 10-digit index number and add 20 as year of completion,” the statement explained.

It said for instance that if a student’s index number was 1234567890, 20 would be added to the number to make it 123456789020, “then enter the pin code details (serial number and pin), click on submit and wait for placement to show up.”

The candidate, the statement added, should print the form, if placed, and visit the school to begin the admission process.

Call centres ready

As of 6 p.m. when the Daily Graphic visited the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) Centre, the call centres, set up by the GES to receive calls and complaints of candidates and parents were already busy receiving calls from anxious candidates and parents on issues about the placement.

At one of the call centres, the personnel recruited were seated and waiting patiently for the rollout, while officials of the GES were busily getting their act together.

The centres which are three in number, are equipped with 100 laptops fitted with gadgets to enable the personnel manning them to receive, track and store calls.

Conducting the Daily Graphic round the call centres, Ms Ampofo explained that the officials were well trained for the job.

Sensitisation

She did a demonstration on one of the laptops that the personnel would be using to address the complaints.

Ms Ampofo explained that all was set for the rollout and was optimistic that it would be done later in the evening.

She said enough sensitisation had been done on this year’s placement exercise and she was not expecting too much challenges after the rollout.

Ms Ampofo explained that the GES was aware of the fact that people would still have challenges in spite of the extensive education that the service embarked on prior to the placement exercise and that was why the call centres had been established.

Overcrowding

She said 100 young people had been trained, and would be stationed at the centres for the next eight weeks to address the concerns of people.

The PRO explained that the arrangement was to address overcrowding of candidates and parents as happened in the previous years, explaining that unlike the previous years when the management of the GES had to set up solution centres where those with genuine issues could go for help, “this year, because of COVID-19, we want to avoid that situation.”

“That is why these call centres have been set up to receive and work on issues and complaints people may be coming up with,” she explained, stressing that there would not be massing up anywhere this year.

She explained that the personnel would be addressing genuine issues and where those issues were beyond their ability, they would be referred to the technical personnel to handle.