Member of Parliament for Akrofuom, Joseph Azumah
The Member of Parliament for Akrofuom, Joseph Azumah, has expressed outrage over what he describes as corruption in Ghana’s Senior High School (SHS) placement system.
This was after one of his constituents was allegedly charged GH¢30,000 to secure admission for a child to a preferred school.
Speaking in an interview on Asempa FM on October 21, 2025, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) legislator stated that he was approached by a constituent who sought his help in securing placement for their child.
However, he said within a week, the individual returned with evidence showing that GH¢30,000 had been paid to secure admission through unofficial means.
“Someone who knew I was an MP came to me at Community 16, where I live and asked me to help their child gain admission to a certain school.
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“Within a week, the person came back with evidence showing that they had paid GH¢30,000 to secure the placement. Why are we doing this to ourselves?” he lamented.
The MP said he was shocked by the revelation and questioned why some parents were willing to pay exorbitant sums for school placements, suggesting that such practices only serve to deepen inequality and corruption in the education sector.
“I asked the person, so if your child goes to this school, will they automatically become an MP or a president? Why sacrifice so much for that?” he said.
According to Azumah, the individual eventually succeeded in securing admission for their child, an outcome he described as worrying evidence of systemic rot within the Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS).
“This is the kind of country we live in. It shows how deep the problem has become,” he added.
The Akrofuom MP also called for tighter supervision of the SHS placement process to curb corruption and restore public trust.
He suggested that District Chief Executives (DCEs), Municipal Chief Executives (MCEs), and Metropolitan Chief Executives be allowed to delegate representatives to serve on monitoring committees to ensure transparency.
“I’m not saying they should interfere but for supervision and monitoring, DCEs, MCEs and KMA bosses should be allowed to delegate representatives on the placement board,” he proposed.
He warned that ignoring such issues could undermine public confidence in the government and fuel perceptions of unfairness in the country’s education system.
“Some of the things we claim are small are the same things that destroy governments,” he cautioned.
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NDC Member of Parliament for Akrofuom accuses the education ministry for engaging in corruption, according to him, they take Ghc30,000 before they place students to their preferred School on their system. pic.twitter.com/gveH3hKQx7
— Gen. Buhari (@Gen_Buhari_) October 21, 2025
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