CSSPS: ‘Protocol admissions’ not reserved for the rich – GES

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has clarified that the spaces in the various Senior High Schools that are reserved by headmasters during admission are meant for stakeholders associated in one way or the other with the school, ABC News can report.

These stakeholders include Chiefs and traditional rulers, Old students’ associations, District Chief Executives and the Clergy in the case of mission schools and other persons or groups that contribute to the development of the school.

Contrary to the widely held notion that the slots are reserved for the highest bidder or the rich in society to pay their way through for their wards to attend Senior High Schools of their choices, Ghana Education Service maintains the quota gives any student equal chance of benefitting.

Speaking in an interview with ABC News, Cassandra Twum-Ampofo, the Head of Public Relations Unit of GES explained that, the GES has reserved a 5percent quota of all admissions to public Senior High Schools in the country.

She explained that this is what is referred to as the protocol admissions.

She cited that, for instance, the chief of the community in which the school is located, the PTA Executives, Old Student Associations, Opinion leaders, the clergy for the various mission schools among others are some people who are served with the protocol admissions for their various roles in the school.

“Each Senior High School in the country has a 5percent protocol. The 5percent protocol is for them to serve their stakeholders in their little community. The stakeholders are, for example, the Old Boys, the Chief or the traditional leaders, the DCE, the clergy or bishops for the mission schools,” she explained to ABC News.

Cassandra continued that the protocol admissions are solely supervised by the heads of the Senior High Schools on their protocol portals on the Placement System.

She again stressed that even before a student can qualify for a protocol admission, he or she must have passed and qualified for the Free SHS.

“You must qualify for that school. You cannot go with any aggregate,” she emphasized to ABC News.