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The Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum has blown the cover of an investigative piece by The Fourth Estate into the Computer Selection Placement System (CSSPS) into the Senior High Schools (SHS).

A publication by The Fourth Estate revealed a fraud in the CSSPS and the Minister of Education was also accused of letting his password be used to perpetrate the wrongdoing.

"When the Ministry of Education set up a resolution centre at the Bediako Conference Room of the GNAT Hall in Accra, it was meant to address anomalies and mistakes in the placement of students into senior high schools. Investigations by The Fourth Estate, however, revealed that the GNAT Hall had been turned into a market where placements into top senior high schools could be bought like commodities. Top officials linked to the placement executed their trade through a network of intermediaries, mostly security guards and cleaners at the GNAT Hall.

"It was easy to mistake them for scammers blowing hot air about their connections, but, as our investigation revealed, a cleaner who took your money at the GNAT Hall was capable of placing a student you presented in a school which only two top officials in Ghana’s educational system–the Minister of Education and the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES)–had the password to effect such placements," the publication said.

But the Minister of Education has refuted the claims in an interview with Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" morning show.

According to him, the allegations of his password used to facilitate the fraudulent placement of students in top Senior High Schools were made by former Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Professor Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa.

“There is no iota of truth in it. It wasn’t The Fourth Estate that made such claims. It was Professor Opoku-Amankwa, who is no longer the Director-General, that made the statement and The Fourth Estate also reported it. It is not true. Professor Opoku-Amankwa also had a password, why does he think it wasn’t his password that was used? It is false! Some people have decided to destroy progress in the education sector,” he indicated.

According to him, “it will never occur that I, the Minister of Education and champion for Free Senior High School will entertain any practice that will jeopardize the Free Senior High School”.

The Minister further stressed that “for someone to accuse the Minister of Education of receiving bribe to put a child in a particular school, then that person accusing is doing the same so thinks the Minister does it too".

"I mean how will the Minister of Education collect money to do that which he is accused of? Why will I do that? For Free Senior High School? I have built a school and gifted it to government, Osei Adutwum Senior High School,” he fumed.

He noted that the protocol list is a normal practice to give assistance to some underprivileged students but warned that it shouldn't become an avenue for extortion or bribe taking.