I have space for about 800 students – Mansoman SHS headmaster raises concerns about placement changes

The Headmaster of Mansoman Senior High School (SHS), Rev. Nicholas Adu Berko, has raised concerns over the growing number of students changing their school placements, warning that the trend could leave some schools with substantial vacancies despite having adequate infrastructure and qualified teachers.

According to Rev. Adu Berko, Mansoman SHS initially had more than 600 students placed on its Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) portal.

However, he said the number has been declining as students and their parents visit placement resolution centres to seek transfers to schools they consider more prestigious or preferred.

Speaking to the media at a resolution centre in Kumasi, the headmaster said the pace at which students were reporting to Mansoman SHS for admission was significantly below expectations. 

When the placement came, I had almost about 600-plus students on my portal. But between yesterday and today, I have seen that the rate at which we are expecting students to come to the school to give them admissions is not going as it should,” he said.

Rev. Adu Berko said he had received information that a number of students were visiting the resolution centre specifically to change their school placements.

“I have gotten information that most of them are here to change their schools to other schools,” he said.

He said the changes were also visible on the school's CSSPS portal, with some students who had initially been assigned to Mansoman SHS no longer appearing on the list.

“When you see my portal, a student had an aggregate 10, and his name is no longer on the portal, meaning the student has changed his or her school,” he explained.

The development, he warned, could create an imbalance in the placement system, with some highly sought-after schools struggling to accommodate demand while other institutions with adequate facilities operate below capacity.

The headmaster said Mansoman SHS had sufficient infrastructure to accommodate significantly more students than it was currently attracting.

He said the school had classrooms, dormitory spaces, beds, seats and other facilities capable of supporting between 800 and 900 students.

I have a lot of space that can take close to about 800 to 900 students in my school. I have seats, dormitory spaces, beds; I have almost everything that can accommodate students,” he said.

Despite the available facilities, Rev. Adu Berko said some parents remained reluctant to allow their children to attend the school.

He noted that some parents had cited the poor condition of roads leading to the school as one of the reasons for seeking alternative placements.

But they don’t want my school because they will give reasons that the roads are not good, and they’re now fixing it,” he said.

Rev. Adu Berko argued that a student's access to quality education should not be determined by whether the school is located in a major urban centre or elsewhere.

He said the country’s commitment to equal educational opportunities should mean that students are able to receive quality education regardless of their geographical location.

When we say we’re giving everybody equal opportunities, wherever you are, you should be able to learn,” he said.

The headmaster also challenged the perception that schools outside major cities do not have teachers with the expertise required to provide quality education.

According to him, teachers at Mansoman SHS possess the same academic and professional capabilities as their counterparts at some of Ghana's highly sought-after senior high schools.

Because the teachers who are in Kumasi, their classmates are the ones in my school,” he said.

Rev. Adu Berko further questioned why parents and students continue to compete for places in highly ranked schools while Category B and C institutions with adequate facilities are sometimes overlooked.

I don’t know why parents are still struggling to go to the same Grade A schools while the B and C are neglected,” he added.

He insisted that Mansoman SHS has teachers capable of delivering quality instruction at the same level as teachers in prominent institutions such as Prempeh College.

Mansoman SHS has teachers who are equally good as those in Prempeh College to teach them. Because we are classmates,” he said.

The headmaster also rejected the perception that attending a highly regarded senior high school automatically makes a student more intelligent or capable than students attending less-preferred institutions.

Using his own educational background as an example, he said his previous attendance at Opoku Ware School and his current position as headmaster of Mansoman SHS should not be interpreted as evidence that students at Mansoman are less capable.

I attended Opoku Ware School. I am the headmaster of Mansoman SHS. It doesn’t mean that someone in Mansoman is not intelligent, no,” he said.

He therefore called for a reconsideration of the practice of grading or categorising senior high schools in ways that may influence parents to favour certain institutions over others.

Rev. Adu Berko said he looked forward to a time when senior high schools would no longer be ranked in a manner that creates a perception that some institutions are inherently better than others.

I am waiting for a day that we’ll not grade these schools again,” he said.

He also expressed hope that the placement process would eventually become flexible enough for parents and students to make school choices without the need for placement resolution centres to handle large numbers of requests for changes.

Secondly, I am waiting for a day where, when you allow a child or a parent to choose a school for the child, this centres will not be needed,” he added.

His comments come amid renewed debate over the pressure on Ghana’s senior high school placement system and the intense competition for spaces in Category A schools, as parents and students seek admission to institutions perceived to offer greater academic and social advantages.