Computerized School Selection and Placement System in The Greater Accra Region of Ghana: Perception of Stakeholders

Abstract

The study was intended to find out whether the Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) was a better alternative to the manual system in the process of selection of qualified students in the Senior High Schools (SHSs) in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. A sample size of 306 was selected from a population of 994. Stratified and simple random sampling procedures were employed to select the subjects in the study sample. Respondents to the questionnaire and interview were randomly selected. A pilot study was conducted in the Eastern Region to test the validity and reliably of the instrument. The Cronbach alpha coefficient reliability at 0.7 was recorded. The data generated was processed and converted into percentages to facilitate the analysis and discussion processes. The results indicated that the introduction of the CSSPS did not significantly increase enrolment in the least endowed schools; neither did it minimize the preference for endowed schools. However, the CSSPS significantly minimized the human errors that characterized the manual system and accelerated the rate of selection and placement process. The major challenge to the CSSPS was the human factor in terms of refusal of parents and students to accept placement into other schools apart from their chosen endowed schools. It is recommended that the CSSPS should be used in combination with other placement systems such as the Random Placement Systems to achieve a mixed talent distribution of students across the schools in the study area.