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We were denied CSSPS data to check public basic schools placement quota – Eduwatch
Executive Director of Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch), Kofi Asare, says the Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Education had denied an RTI request from his outfit to access data on school placements from the Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS).
According to him, following some petitions from concerned stakeholders including parents and schools heads about issues emerging from the CSSPS, Eduwatch had initiated the RTI request to assess the effectiveness and equity of same.
“We have also been concerned at Eduwatch about the proper functioning of the CSSPS because we appreciate why the system was birthed, and so when we received concerns from parents and school authorities and all that including government agencies about issues emerging from the angle of effectiveness and equity, then we were concerned,” he said.
The purpose of the request he said was to ascertain whether government was indeed living up to its promise of allocating 30% of school placements in Category A schools to students from public basic schools.
The government had initiated the quota allocation system to provide equity in Ghana’s education system; however, concerns have been raised about its effectiveness.
“So we actually requested from the CSSPS, we made an RTI request to the Director General of the GES requesting for the placement data to enable us undertake an analysis. Our concern was actually the 30% allocation for public basic students.
“We wanted to be sure the extent to which we have been given public basic school students their 30% in the category A schools. It was an equity analysis. It was denied. We petitioned the Ministry, it was denied. As I speak, we are still engaging the RTI on the next step after this was denied. We won’t play around this time,” he said.
According to Kofi Asare, access to such data would help Eduwatch “to conduct research and advise government on how best to improve its own policy’s effectiveness through transparency.”
Meanwhile, in the latest JoyNews-Fourth Estate documentary, ‘School Placement for Sale’, it has been discovered that some persons have been collecting bribes from parents who want their children to be placed in Category A schools.
So far, eight persons exposed in the documentary have been arrested by the police.
According to editor-in-chief at Fourth Estate, Manasseh Azure, the suspects have been charged and arraigned.
He, however, stated that two others are at large. -www.myjoyonline.com
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GEXIM deepens relations with US EXIM Bank
A management team of the Ghana Export – Import Bank (GEXIM) led by the Acting Chief Executive, Sylvester Mensah met with the leadership of the Export–Import Bank of the United States (US EXIM) on Wednesday April 23, 2025 in Washington DC, United States of America.
The Acting President and Chairman of US EXIM, Mr. James C. Cruse and Vice President, International Relations, Ms. Isabel Galdiz received the GEXIM delegation, which included Deputy CEO for Banking, Mr. Moses Klu Mensah and Head of International Cooperation, Mr. Jonathan Christopher Koney at the headquarters of US EXIM.
The meeting offered the GEXIM team the opportunity to share the strategic direction of the Bank in line with the resetting agenda of the President of the Republic, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama for the repositioning of the Ghanaian economy into an export-led one by providing the requisite investment to Ghanaian businesses.
Mr. James C. Cruse expressed US EXIM’s eagerness to deepen its existing relations with GEXIM and proposed the signing of a new Cooperative Framework Agreement following the expiration of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2019 to utilize US EXIM’s medium term loan guarantees to procure machinery by GEXIM for qualified Ghanaian Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).
Mr.Sylvester Mensah thanked the Acting President and Chairman of US EXIM for hosting the GEXIM delegation and reaffirmed the Ghanaian government’s commitment to strengthening trade and investment between Ghana and its global partners for economic transformation of Ghana with GEXIM playing a pivotal role.
The two teams will be meeting on the sidelines of the 2025 US EXIM Annual Conference on 29th and April 30, 2025 to explore possible areas of collaboration and matching Ghanaian businesses to American companies. The meeting ended with an exchange of gifts.
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Many SOEs have been used as mere instruments for personal wealth accumulation –Pres.Mahama
President John Dramani Mahama has expressed concern over the misuse of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) for personal financial gain by individuals in leadership positions.
Speaking during a meeting with Chief Executives of specified entities under the State Interest and Governance Authority (SIGA) on Thursday, March 13, the President directly attributed the dire state of SOEs to their leadership, accusing chief executives, management teams, and governing boards of prioritising personal enrichment over organisational efficiency.
He pointed to bloated budgets, unjustified allowances, and unnecessary expenditures as factors draining public funds while SOEs continue to rely on government bailouts.
“Many SOEs have been used as mere instruments for personal wealth accumulation by appointees. The chief executives, management, and boards of these enterprises are responsible for this situation. Some SOEs have become perennial loss-makers, draining public funds with bloated budgets, unjustified allowances, and unnecessary expenditures while relying on government bailouts as if entitled to them. Many of these entities are at their lowest point in the entire history of the Fourth Republic,” he said.
President Mahama further noted that many SOEs have been plagued by inefficiencies, corruption, and mismanagement, leading to consistent financial losses. He cited the 2023 State Ownership Report by the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), which highlighted systemic inefficiencies and wasteful expenditures within these entities.
He therefore reaffirmed his commitment to reforming under-performing SOEs and ensuring they serve national interests.
He warned that loss-making SOEs will no longer be tolerated and will either be merged, privatised, or closed.
“I will assess you based on your performance. If you do not align with the pace of the reset agenda, you may be asked to step aside. If that adds to the horror movie, so be it,” he added.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
