GNAPS President Calls for Abolition of 30% Priority Placement System

The President of the Ghana National Association of Private Schools (GNAPS), Prof. Damasus Tuurosong, has called for the immediate abolition of the 30% Priority Placement system. This system reserves 30% of admission slots into Category ‘A’ public Senior High Schools (SHSs) exclusively for students who completed their Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in public schools.

According to Prof. Tuurosong, this system is discriminatory and undermines the principle of equal opportunity and meritocracy. He emphasized that every Ghanaian child, regardless of whether they attended a public or private school, deserves an equal chance of accessing public SHSs.

The GNAPS President made these remarks at a news conference held at the International Press Centre, where he presented a petition to the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) against the 30% Priority Placement system.

Prof. Tuurosong also expressed concerns about the recent BECE results, where the results of 149 schools were withheld due to suspicions of malpractices. He noted that many innocent candidates from private schools have been unduly penalized, and called for speedy investigations to clear the names of these students.

The GNAPS President was joined by representatives from the Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS) and the Independent Schools and Teachers Council – Ghana (ISTeC-Gh), who all called for a merit-based placement system to ensure fairness and equal access to education for all Ghanaian students.

GNACOPS also condemned the government’s 30% priority placement policy for Senior High Schools (SHS). According to Obenfo Nana Kwasi Gyetuah, National Executive Director of GNACOPS, this policy is a clear violation of the constitutional rights of private school students.

The policy, which reserves 30% of admissions in Category A SHS exclusively for students from public basic schools, is seen as discriminatory and unfair. GNACOPS argues that this policy creates an artificial barrier that denies private school students equal access to top-tier secondary institutions, despite their academic merit.

GNACOPS is calling for the immediate abolition of the 30% priority placement system and its replacement with a merit-based admission policy for all students, regardless of the type of school they attended. The organization has formally petitioned the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to investigate this matter and recommend appropriate action.

The petition seeks to compel the Ministry of Education to adopt policies that guarantee equal access to senior high schools for both public and private school students, as required under the Constitution. GNACOPS is urging CHRAJ to act swiftly in addressing this grave injustice, which continues to infringe upon the constitutional rights of Ghana’s children.