MoE launches investigation into GH¢30,000 SHS placement bribery claims

The Ministry of Education (MoE) has launched investigations into allegations of bribery in the ongoing Senior High School (SHS) placement of students who sat for this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

The probe into the allegations follows a claim by a Member of Parliament for Akrofuom, indicating a person who approached him for help paid GH¢30,000 to secure the school placement for his ward

“Someone who knew I was an MP came to me at Community 16, where I live, and asked me to help their child gain admission to a certain school. Within a week, the person came back with evidence showing that they had paid GH¢30,000 to secure the placement. Why are we doing this to ourselves?” he is quoted to have said.

Speaking in an interview Akrofuom Member of Parliament for Akrofuom, Joseph Azumah, expressed strong outrage over alleged corruption in Ghana’s Senior High School (SHS) placement system.

Mr. Azumah questioned how such large sums of money could be involved in public school admissions and warned that this level of bribery and favoritism undermines trust in Ghana’s educational institutions.

“I asked the person, so if your child goes to this school, will they automatically become an MP or a president? Why sacrifice so much for that?” he asked.

But, in a statement, the Education Ministry said it views these allegations and similar ones recently raised by the Secretary of the Construction and Building Workers’ Union of the Ghana Trade Union Congress (TUC), Mr. Richard Asamoah Mensah, with the utmost seriousness and concern.

“Given the gravity of the claims, the Honorable Minister for Education has convened a meeting. with National Security and has formally referred these and other related allegations for urgent and thorough investigation.

The Ministry wishes to assure the public that it is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and fairness in the school placement process.

Any individual found to have engaged in acts of bribery, extortion, or manipulation of the Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) will face the full rigours of the law,” it said in the statement.

The Ministry of Education has therefore urged Hon. Joseph Azumah, Mr. Richard Asamoah Mensah, and any other persons with credible information or evidence to fully cooperate with National Security to aid ongoing investigations.

“This collaborative effort is crucial to uncovering the truth and ensuring accountability. The Ministry remains resolute in safeguarding the integrity of the placement process and in ensuring that access to secondary education remains free, fair, and merit-based for every Ghanaian child,” the Ministry noted.