Educationalist Samuel Obimpeh Questions Call to Report Parents Who Bribe for School Placements

Educationalist Samuel Obimpeh has questioned the practicality of asking the public to report parents who allegedly bribe school authorities to secure placements for their children, arguing that stronger monitoring systems would be a more effective solution. Speaking in an interview with host Nhyiraba Kwabena Asirifi on the Ghana Nti Morning Show on ICADTV, Mr. Obimpeh was reacting to comments by the Education Minister urging the public to report parents who pay bribes to gain admission for their children into senior high schools where they were not officially placed. According to Mr. Obimpeh, it would be extremely difficult for school authorities or members of the public to report parents involved in such practices. He said expecting schools to report parents is unrealistic, remarking that “unless it is Osoro Abɔfoɔ or Jesu,”. Instead, he suggested that the government should strengthen oversight of the school placement system. He explained that since the government already knows the number of students officially placed in each school, it should deploy monitoring teams to verify that schools admit only the approved number of students. According to him, where enrolment figures exceed the official placement numbers, school authorities should be required to account for the discrepancy and face appropriate sanctions if any wrongdoing is established. Mr. Obimpeh also argued that Ghana has adequate laws to deal with corruption and other offences but said enforcement remains weak, preventing the laws from achieving their intended purpose. Commenting on graduate teacher recruitment, the educationalist disputed claims that all trained graduate teachers had been employed. He argued that although some graduates have secured employment, others are still at home without appointment letters. According to him, the recruitment of graduate teachers has become politicised, and he questioned claims that every qualified graduate teacher has been absorbed into the public education system while some continue to await employment.