University of Cape Coast

Department of Economics
MSc. Economics of Technology and Development
ECON 801s - Term Paper

Impact of computerised school selection

and placement system in Ghana

Gabriel Dike Achonu

SS/ETD/15/0005

June 21, 2015

Abstract
This paper will discuss the impact of Computerised school selection and placement system
and whether it has been effective and thus the need to replicate the concept across all facets
of the educational system in Ghana. This paper will discuss various concepts, opinions,
journals, etc. on the subject and reflect on the relevance and transformation of the system
and how it is helping shape the technological facets of the Ghanaian educational system and
the economy as a whole.

Introduction
The Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) is a non-mechanised
system used by the Ghana Education Service (GES) to place qualified Basic Education
Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates fairly into Senior High School, Technical Institutes,
and the Vocational Institutional Institutes.
(http://www.modernghana.com/news/242118/1/the-computerised-schools-selection-andplacements-.html 24th June 2014)
Prior to the adoption of this technology in the educational system; there was the manual
selection system which used the actual grades of prospective candidates; the CSSPS was
supposed to use the raw scores obtained by candidates in all their core subjects and in any
other two best subjects, with the aim of simplifying the admissions process by eliminating
bottlenecks.
After the inception of the programme in 2005, it has gone through several changes and
tremendous improvement in how it works: starting from using the grading system, and now
the point system, all, to ensure every qualified candidate is placed in a school of their choice.
However, amidst this success, parents, teachers and students do not still understand how the
system works. This has left others to give their own interpretation and feelings as to how the
programme works because of the inadequate information on the programme.
(http://www.uew.edu.gh/news/2014-practicum-computerised-school-selection-andplacement-system-cssps-my-role-your-role-gp2 24th June 2014)

Structure of the CSPSS

Every year the CSPSS Secretariat processes the result of three categories of students for
selection and placement.

Category 1: Qualified candidates who completed that academic year in the same year
of sitting the exams eg. If completion is in 2014
Category 2: Re-entry candidates who completed 3 year-gab back i.e. (2011-2013)
Category 3: Foreign students (Ghanaians and Non-Ghanaians) who schooled abroad.

Placement Procedure:

Six (6) Subjects used for selection & placement

Raw scores of candidates are used
Choice of School from a combination of regions allowed
Placement merits
School and programme options linked
Key subjects used in the event of a tie. ie. English, Mathematics, int. Science & social
Studies in that order

Placement criteria:
A minimum of six (6) subjects are used for all candidates for the selection. This compromises
four (4) core subjects and two (2) best subjects
The core subjects are:
I.

ii.

For SHS/TI
English language
Mathematics
Integrated Science
Social Studies
Two other best subjects

The two other best subjects are selected from the rest of the BECE subjects.

Available vacancy for each programme declared by the head of SHS/TI determines the
cut-off point

COMPUTERISED SCHOOL SELECTION AND PLACEMENT (CSPSS) SCHOOL, PROGRAMME

CHOICES & PLACEMENT UNDER 30% CATCHEMENT AREA
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.

30% placement is optional & reserved for candidates who wish to take the advantage
of this allocation.
Qualification is based on the minimum pass mark.
To qualify for selection, candidate must have attended junior high school within the
catchment area
Candidates raw scores and programme cut-off will be used to determine placement
in one of the catchment area chosen
Candidates can choose schools and programmes from within the catchment area (10
miles or 16km radius) of where they attended the junior high schools only.
Candidates may choose a maximum of four (4) schools from their catchment area only.
Candidates who opt for the 30% catchment area cannot be placed under the 70%
option[West African Examination council press release]

Concepts of CSSPS
There has been a lot of journals and publications to support the technology based
Computerised Schools Selection and Placement System (CSSPS); most deeming it as a
necessity. Mr. Adomey in October session of the Northern ICT4D Forum on the theme the
Computerised Schools Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) stressed the need to
harness and collaborate the need to adopt and improve the technology behind the CSSPS.
[Computerised school selection and placement system Northern ICT4D Forum]. The selection
and placement of qualified BECE candidates into Second Cycle schools of their choice was
performed manually prior to the inception of the technology. Every year, heads of Senior
Secondary Schools and Technical Institutes together with the Ghana Education Service (GES)
officials converged at selected regional centres to conduct the selection exercises. The
manual system had some major problems associated to it. The general challenge was whether
to keep the cumbersome yet familiarised system of sorting qualified candidates or adjust to
a more advanced yet not too easily adaptable form of managing students placements. The
quest to achieve the latter was characterised by series of investigations, automated tests,
trials, etc. One thing that was not properly done by researchers was obtaining public views
and opinions on how best to conceptualise the CSSPS prior to developing a framework to
support the development of such a system. This was realised after implementation, which still
remain a challenge till date. The manual system had difficulty in handling large numbers of
qualified students as the number of registered candidates increased every year. The need for

advancement in a more sustainable system was inherent and evidently extended. The manual
system had been stretched and had to be restructured to take on a new form to be able to
solve emerging challenges in the socio-economical structure of the Ghanaian educational
system. In the bid to recreate this new revolution in technological system; the automated and
computerised system was born to harness the current changes and support the management
and placement of qualified candidates. This system is as good as the current challenges it is
solving and as any system, this system if it is smart would have to continually grow to be able
to remain relevant in the ever changing technological preferences and demands of the
current Ghanaian consumer.

Technology
The CSSPS and electronic platform was contracted to and developed by Somuah Information
Systems Co. (SISCO), a local IT Services Company on behalf of the Ghana Education Service
[ICT4D conference, GES/ WAEC press release]. CSSPS with all its modules was developed using
a component-Based Architecture. The technology standards used are well established in the
industry and are implemented to promote and support the development and deployment of
scalable, interoperable, and reusable computing platforms and components. Microsoft .Net
framework was used as the basis for the development of all the modules CSSPS. The .NET
Framework is a new computing platform that simplifies application development in the highly
distributed environment of the Internet. CSSPS utilises an N-Tier based architectural
framework to develop the components for the application. Logically the system works by
using the modified raw score in the placement process, thus obtaining Grade 1 in all subjects
(or 10 ones), does not necessarily mean that a candidate should get his/her first choice school
by all means. And this is one intrinsic lapse in the computational algorithm of the system.
Because when there is a tie for example, raw scores will be considered over entire
performance of the candidate for the placement into Senior High Schools (SHS), 4 core
subjects and 2 best subjects will be used in the grading. English, Science, Mathematics and
Social Studies are the four main core subjects used in the placement system so if a candidate
did not pass in any of them, the candidate will not qualify for placement. This is another aspect
which defeats the entire purpose of diversity and interest within the Ghanaian educational
structure. Parents, teachers and students where not integrated through consultation in the
systems development life cycle; this error is what created the impounding social challenge
that came with this change. It must be a requirement for every technology that has socioeconomic impact to involve various stakeholders.
The technological change from the manual system to the CSSPS is as a result of the following:

To have an enhancement in national technological integration through the system's

ability to allow students to choose schools from more than one region

An improvement in the teaching and learning since selection and placement is done
on merit.
Technological Change an improvement to a rather laborious process

Social - Economic Impact

The manual process was vulnerable to pressures from parents / guardians and also abuse /
misuse of discretionary powers of public servants in charge of the system and that the system
caused a lot of anxiety, frustrations and confusion especially for parents of qualified
candidates. It was also susceptible to problems due to movements of registration cards and
delays in the placement of such candidates. Though the CSSPS also creates some level of
anxiety, it levels this with the genuine fact that a candidate can easily tell where he will be
placed by looking the results obtained. The only challenge will however be in knowledge of
the raw scores. This is an aspect which can be developed further or researched into to
effectively address the effectiveness and transparency of the system. There have been some
positive social aspects and impacts which include a reduction in Class Societies since the
system does not discriminate between the rich and the poor. The system deals with candidate
numbers alone, not school, nor name, nor region, etc. it however gathers raw scores inputted
by markers or examiners and thus, creating clarity in efficient transparency. It is a mark of
good governance and the ability for a country to take a leap in technological advancement.
However, these all come with economic implications.
Some Key Challenges that affects the CSSPS process included:

Prospective Junior High School Pupils were restricted to choosing all their preferred
Senior High Schools from one region of the country. The idea of diversity in this
instance is a little over rated as some parents may not be able to provide financial
assistance or sustenance to their wards staying far from home. Others may have a
challenge to financially support the boarding school system away from home.

Non-Acceptance of placement results which is due to the proper sanitization of the

entire system and procedures

Inaccurate data provided by candidates during registration by WAEC

Lack of parents participation in the registration of wards

Choice of school without reference to availability of boarding facilities & programme

In a growing economy with diverse views and demands from the government and the various
institutions working the system, some responsibility is shared and not skewed.

THE ROLE OF CSSPS SECRETARIAT

Introduction of school digest to advertise all SHS/TI

Continuous & Intensive public Education.
Documentary on CSSPS
Online quick information updates

THE ROLE OF THE TEACHER / COUNSELLOR

Help the students to complete the selection and placement forms correctly.
Assist students to identify their interest and capabilities in order to select a course
they can perform best.
Teachers / counsellor should provide current, adequate and useful information with
regards to the selection of schools and courses.
Teachers / counsellor should have a consensus meeting involving parents and
students during the registration process.
Teachers / counsellor should keep accurate and true records of students and students
performance.

THE ROLE OF THE STUDENT

Students are required to write all subjects to qualify for selection and placement
It is the duty of the candidate to come out successfully to be placed at a choice school.
Students should provide accurate information about themselves to the school
authorities when the need be.
Students should encourage parents to collaborate with school authorities in the
choice of schools and courses.
Students should refrain from selecting the schools themselves and the habit of peer
influence.
Students should refrain from all kinds of examination malpractices.

THE ROLE OF THE PARENT

Parents should give the right information when filling the selection and placement
forms
Parents should cooperate with school authorities during the registration process.
Parents should understand that the choice their wards make today will determine
their future
Parents should provide the necessary learning materials for their wards in order to
perform well.
[A presentation by: amoako bernard mensah, esseku ebow & kwasi abankwa anokye, system
administrator, cssps.]

Some of the economic ties are linked directly to the influence by the state and this is reflected
in the government's long-term objective of achieving universal basic education, expanding,
and increasing access to secondary and tertiary education. This comes off as a milestone in
the realisation of key advancement in the road map of development. The dent in the system
however still lies with the state, to find an area to place those candidates who fell out in the
CSPSS entirely so they remain useful to their families and society as large; many young
individuals in the estate end up in rather un-acceptable activities as they sit at home whiling
away time.
There is a relief in to the tax payer since economically, there will be a reduction in the high
administrative cost associated with the old manual system of placement of JHS students into
second cycle schools.

Concept of expanding the technology

Implementation of the computerized method of selection and placement of candidates has
brought several advantages including:

Efficiency, transparency, simplicity and speed in the procedure of selection and

placement
Removal of regionalized selection constraints by allowing the choice of schools from
any combination of regions
Promoting fairness and equity by enabling pupils who performed well to gain
admission to their choice irrespective of whether the school is a 1st, 2nd or 3rd option.
The system also ensures that no school admits more students than vacancies available
in each programme
Reduction in human error during the process of capturing registration data
Easy access to placement results through SMS where a candidate only texts the
candidates ID and instantly receives a reply on his/her placement status indicating the
secondary school where he/she was placed and the program

Thus expansion of this system is highly imperative to deploy and integrate other aspects of
technology, to meet consumer demands and preferences.

Conclusion
In conclusion we consider the quantitative and the qualitative aspect of the CSPSS.
Qualitatively:
There will also be a reduction or elimination of human error and influence and the cost that
goes with these. These cost can be researched into a quantified into monetary terms. Also,
there would be no protocol admissions and candidates would be selected based on the total
scores obtained in order of merit for every school selected. Thus, the core function of
transparency will be realised.

Quantitatively:
There will be a reduction in the high administrative cost associated with the old manual
system of placement of JHS students into second cycle schools. All Senior high School (SHS)
will have equal opportunity of obtaining candidates and boosting internal numbers which will
affect their revenues.
Generally, the system has come as an improvement, but must be recreated to be a smart
system with a huge potential of growth and sensitivity to technological change. Thus such a
system must be scalable and reflect consumer behaviour. Extension to the transition of SHS
graduates into the tertiary institutions could be researched into, looking at the efficiency of
the current system.

Reference
www.graphic.com.gh/images/stories/pdf/CSSPS%20System.pdf 24th June 2014
http://www.uew.edu.gh/news/2014-practicum-computerised-school-selection-andplacement-system-cssps-my-role-your-role-gp2 24th June 2014
[ICT4D conference, GES/ WAEC press release]
http://www.modernghana.com/news/242118/1/the-computerised-schools-selection-andplacements-.html 24th June 2014
[A presentation by: amoako bernard mensah, esseku ebow & kwasi abankwa anokye, system
administrator, cssps.]