General News of Friday, 11 November 2011
Source: Daily Guide
PARENTS whose wards were offered admission to Aburi Girls Senior High School at Aburi in the Eastern region had the shock of their lives when they were told their wards could not get admission when they turned up at the school on Tuesday.
The parents, together with their wards, went to the school to pick up the prospectuses.
Some of the parents, who said their wards passed with distinction and were placed in Aburi Girls by the Ghana Education Service placement system, were appalled to learn that the school authorities completely neglected the GES master list for admission and did their own admission from a list prepared by the school.
According to the disenchanted parents, their own investigations revealed that some of the students admitted by the school authorities had aggregates 12, 13, 15, and 18, while most students who had 06, 07, 08 and 09 and were placed at the school by the GES were not considered at all.
“This is completely unacceptable. How can a respected school like this do formal admission through the back door? We would not mind suing the school for not being open and fair in its admission process,” a disgruntled parent told the DAILY GUIDE on Tuesday.
DAILY GUIDE saw on the school’s notice board a list of about 400 students prepared by the school, with their corresponding index numbers and mobile phone numbers.
According to information gathered by DAILY GUIDE, the GES master list placed on school notice boards usually indicated the students’ names with their corresponding index numbers and aggregates scored so as to show that the students who were offered admission were selected based on merit.
When DAILY GUIDE got to the school premises at 3:00pm, some of the disappointed parents were seen in groups discussing the next step to take since it was too late for them to look for another school for their wards.
“When I found out that my daughter had been placed at Aburi Girls Senior School, I followed up at the school with her placement form, upon which I was told that the master list was yet to be sent to the school.
Last Wednesday, I went again and was told to come the following day with the form because my daughter had been offered admission but yesterday I was there when someone told me the school is texting parents whose wards were selected by the school to come for prospectuses and when I rushed here, I was told my daughter could not be given admission,” a despaired parent told DAILY GUIDE.
The headmistress of the school, Rosemond Bampoe, was however not available to comment on the grievances raised by the disappointed parents.
The assistance headmistress of the school, Arko Addo, told DAILY GUIDE that the headmistress was out of the school.
When asked about the allegations raised by the concerned parents, she told DAILY GUIDE that she was not the right person to comment on the admission process.
She explained to DAILY GUIDE that they were admitting students based on the list presented by the headmistress and that the master list was still with the headmistress.
The aggrieved parents have called on the GES and the Ministry of Education to intervene in the case to help save the future of their children.