I’m appreciative of your investigations – Education Minister tells Fourth Estate

Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has expressed gratitude to ‘The Fourth Estate’ for its exposé on corruption in the Computerised Selection School Placement System (CSSPS).

The Minister in an interview on GTV’s Morning Show on Monday said the exposé would help make his work better.

“I just want to say upfront that I am appreciative of the fact that an organisation is taking the time to help make my job better.”

The “School Placement for Sale” documentary captures parents, guardians, and officials in charge of school placement, making deals to put wards in desired institutions.

The investigative documentary was by Adwoa Adobea-Owusu and Evans Aziamor-Mensah of The Fourth Estate.

According to Dr Adutwum, his outfit is reviewing the documentary and would respond appropriately.

He assured that persons found wanting in the expose with be dealt with as he promises to work with the relevant security agencies.

“If this is going on, there is a cartel. It has to be stopped and I will work with security agencies to make sure this does not happen under me as the Minister for Education. Free SHS is not for sale, so if anybody thinks they can manipulate the system and do something untoward, it has to be stopped.”

He explained that for the past years, there has been a special protocol in the school selection placement system for key stakeholders like chiefs, churches and old students who contribute to the development of the various secondary schools and in some cases are founders of the schools.

He stressed, however, that the Ministry will not accept any unjustifiable means to downplay this protocol in the school placement system.

“It is a system that we came to inherit. If unfortunately, people are using dubious means to get access to something that has been set aside for these key supporters of education in the country, it has to be stopped,” he noted..