Ghana Ministry of Education has initiated a formal investigation and enlisted the help of national security agencies following a viral social media allegation that placement into the Aburi Girls’ Senior High School is being sold for GH¢5,000.
In a press release signed by the Deputy Minister for Education, Dr Clement Abas Apaak, the Ministry confirmed it is treating the claim with the “utmost seriousness” but has so far been unable to locate the original source.
The allegation, attributed to one Gertrude Adzo Borklo, suggested that parents could secure a place for their child at the sought-after school for a fee, a claim the Ministry stated “appears to feed into a conspiratorial narrative to create the false impression that the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) Computerized School Placement System is for sale.”
However, the investigation hit an early snag as “attempts to reach the author of the original post have proven unsuccessful, as her account messenger was deactivated shortly after the publication.”
The Ministry has raised concerns that the claim is being amplified by malicious actors, noting that “other individuals, using anonymous or ‘ghost’ accounts, are amplifying similar falsehoods.”
The release stated that the Ministry is “collaborating closely with National Security, the Cyber Security Authority, and other agencies to track down these people to assist in investigating this matter.”
Despite the investigation into the bribery claims, the Ministry issued a categorical denial that the official placement system requires any payment.
“The Ministry of Education wishes to state categorically that the BECE Computerized School Placement System is entirely free of charge. At no point is payment required to access this service,” the release emphasised.
In an effort to root out any potential corruption, the Ministry has called on the public to come forward with evidence. “We call on members of the public to provide any information or evidence of persons, whether Ministry officials or third parties, who demand money for placements. The Ministry assures swift and decisive action against any individual found culpable.”
The public can report incidents via dedicated hotlines: 0541548223 for calls and 0244908957 for WhatsApp messages. The Ministry concluded that the collaboration is necessary to “safeguard the integrity and transparency of Ghana’s school placement system and weed out unscrupulous people who seek to benefit unduly from this important national exercise.”
