The Ghana Integrity Initiative has called for the removal of the protocol list system in secondary schools under the Computerized School Selection and Placement System. A new documentary entitled “School Placement for sale” shows parents, guardians, and officials in charge of placement allegedly making “deals” to secure places for students. Some parents paid GHS20,000 to get their children into placed schools while others paid GHS8,500 for preferred schools.

An investigation found nearly 170 residents who allegedly defrauded subsidies from the Continuing Education Development Plan, which involved over MOP1 million. Between 2016 and 2019, two staff members attracted residents to apply to the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau for the Continuing Education Development Plan and apply for subsidised courses. The centre reported untrue attendance records and colluded with instructors and students to forge attendance records while the students received cash rebates amounting to half of the subsidies paid or took other courses held by the centre for free.

Zero Corruption Campaign (ZCC), a civil society organisation that focuses on promoting integrity, accountability, and transparency in the services of public sector institutions, has warned the country’s school authorities to stop collecting money as additional fees for students pursuing their education in 2022/2023. The ZCC said such practices were tantamount to corruption and a deliberate attempt to undermine quality free school education.

The Director of the Future Gate Agency was sentenced to seven years in prison and fined 7 million dinars (about $50,000) after 75 Algerian students who wanted to enrol in foreign universities, including in Ukraine, Turkey, and Russia, fell victim to fraud. Although they paid the Agency large sums of money, the accommodation conditions were wretched, and their university applications forged. Two of their assistants and three influencers, prosecuted in the same case, were given one year in prison and fined 100,000 dinars (about $700) each.

The Ministry of Education (MoE) announced that the supplementary fees for security guards at schools are entirely voluntary. However, schools preventing children from attending class because their parents have not made such payments will be punished by the Law. The MoE also reported corruptions scandals in the Southern province of Inhambane, such as the sale of fake certificates or the rigging of examination marks for the Teachers Training Centre admission charged 780 US dollars.