— Over 6,000 Complaints Resolved as Secretariat Warns Parents Against Middlemen
The Free Senior High School (Free SHS) Secretariat says it is working around the clock to address thousands of placement-related concerns across the country, as it moves to dispel growing public mistrust and tackle alleged corruption in the ongoing school placement exercise.
In an interview with Citi News on Friday, October 10, 2025, the Deputy Ashanti Regional Coordinator of the Secretariat, Michael Owusu Baafi, revealed that his office had already received and resolved more than 6,000 complaints from parents and guardians since the exercise began.
He said the Secretariat was determined to ensure that no student is denied placement due to financial exploitation, misinformation, or bureaucratic manipulation.
“We don’t charge any fees here for placement,” Mr. Owusu Baafi stressed.
“Everything is free. Parents should come to the centre directly if they face any challenges. Once you come, we’ll assist you. There’s no need to go through any middleman.”
Secretariat Battles Growing ‘Placement Middlemen’ Network
The school placement process — introduced to streamline admissions under the Free SHS policy — has over the years been plagued by reports of bribery and influence-peddling, with some agents and individuals demanding money to secure preferred schools for students.
Mr. Owusu Baafi admitted that such scams have become a worrying trend but insisted that these activities were external to the Secretariat.
“Some agents pretend to help parents, but when they come here, we still process everything for free. It’s those agents who turn around and charge unsuspecting parents,” he explained.
He advised parents to avoid paying any unofficial fees and instead visit official placement centres for assistance, where schools with available slots are listed openly to ensure transparency.
Thousands Assisted, System Under Review
According to Mr. Owusu Baafi, the Secretariat has handled close to 6,000 placement-related cases, including school reassignments, transfer requests, and data corrections.
Unlike in previous years, regional offices now send all verified reports to the national Secretariat in Accra for processing — a measure designed to reduce human interference and corruption risks.
“The new system is centralized. We forward every report to Accra, where officials make the final placement. It helps reduce errors and external manipulation,” he said.
Schools Still Available for Students
Mr. Owusu Baafi assured parents that there are still numerous vacancies in schools across the country, and headmasters have been encouraged to accommodate qualified students where possible.
“Some headmasters have approached us, saying that if we have students, we should send them — they’ll take them in without any protocol fees,” he disclosed.
He urged parents to remain calm and patient, emphasizing that the government’s commitment to ensuring equitable access to secondary education remains firm.
A Call for Vigilance
Education analysts say the Secretariat’s latest response is part of a broader effort to restore public confidence in the Free SHS placement process, which has faced criticism over alleged favoritism and corruption in previous years.
The Secretariat has also warned that it will collaborate with security agencies to track and prosecute individuals posing as placement intermediaries.
