The Executive Director of the Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS), Obengfo Nana Kwasi Gyetuah, has called for the shutdown of the National Placement Resolution Centre, arguing that it undermines the effectiveness of regional and district education offices in resolving issues related to the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS).
His comments follow chaotic scenes at the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) Hall in Accra on Tuesday, September 23, where hundreds of frustrated parents and students gathered to address placement challenges.
Speaking to the media on Saturday, September 27, Mr. Gyetuah criticized the Ghana Education Service (GES) for centralizing placement resolutions, despite having established resolution centres in district and regional offices across the country.
“We should collapse the national centre because the GES offices already exist,” he said. “The problem is not beyond the capacity of regional and district offices; the challenge is that resources have not been fairly distributed to empower them to function effectively.”
He emphasized that local education officers possess the necessary expertise and community insight to handle placement concerns, often surpassing the knowledge of staff at the national centre.
“When you go to the national centres I’ve been there and those working there don’t have superior knowledge compared to district officers,” he added. “District education officers know the issues better because they live and work among the communities.”