It was chaotic at the Independence Square yesterday as hundreds of parents and prospective senior high school (SHS) students thronged there to resolve challenges confronting their placement.
The slow nature of the processes at the centre got some of the parents and student agitated and annoyed leading to a complete breakdown of order at the place.
Filled with anger and worry, some of the people who had travelled long distances to seek redress to their challenges, were seen wrangling, shoving and pushing each other in the queue formed.
The sheer numbers made it difficult for the few security personnel deployed there to maintain order as there was pandemonium all over the place.
The challenges confronting the prospective students and parents ranged from non-placement, through non-acceptance by head teachers to cancellation of the self placement made earlier when the portal was opened.
Some of the prospective students who spoke to the Ghanaian Times expressed disgust at the level of confusion which had characterised this year’s admission processes.
A parent who gave his name as Mr Asamoah explained that his ward was yet to receive placement so they both came to the centre on Friday only to be told to come back yesterday which was Monday.
However, upon reaching the centre as early as 5:30am, no one from the centre had attended to their needs, adding that “We were made to form a queue but as I speak to you now, we don’t know if they are working or not.”
Another parent said she was there to effect a change of school since the school in which her son had been placed was not one of his five choices.
According to her, even though his son chose schools in the Central Region, he had been placed in a school far away in the Bono Region, adding that “Yes the school is a boarding school but the place is too far for my child who is only 16 years.”
She said her son had aggregate 18 and at least should have been given his second or third choice school but had been thrown far away to the Bono Region.
Moses Mensah who had aggregate 09 said even though he was placed at Mampong SHS in the Akuapim North in the Eastern Region when he reported to the school, he was told by the head teacher of the school that the place was full up.
He said last Thursday he reported the incident at the solution centre at the Independence Square and was placed at his second choice school which was Ghana National College in Cape Coast but had not received any notification yet.
Meanwhile, the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Professor Kwasi Opoku Amankwah has appealed to both parents and prospective students to exercise patience as every child who qualified would be placed.
He said some of the scenes witnessed at the Independence Square were as a result of the large number of people rushing to the centre.
Prof. Opoku Amankwah said some of the concerns could be resolved at the school level and there was no need for either parents or the prospective students to throng the Independence Square to add up to the numbers.
He said all the challenges would be resolved; however, all it required was a little bit of patience from parents and prospective students.
The Director-General said by the coming days every child would have been placed and parents as well as their wards would know their status.
By Cliff Ekuful
