Education Minister Mathew Opoku Prempeh said he still stands by his comment that the situation at the Black Star Square on Monday during the SHS placement which led to the collapsing of some students was stage-managed.
Speaking to Citi FM on challenges faced with the Computerised School Selection and Placement System, CSSPS, for the SHS placement, the Education Minister said there was a reduction in the number of students who thronged the Black Star Square on Tuesday which clearly confirms his position that the opposition NDC bused people to the square to cause confusion on Monday.
Education Minister stated that he still stands by his earlier comments that some of the issues of students collapsing at the Black Star Square on Monday were staged.
READ ALSO: SHS placement issues will be resolved by Friday - GESÂ
"I said some of them were staged and I still stand by it maybe we shouldn't speak the truth again in this country, I know because I'm a doctor and I'm telling you some were genuine because of the stampede but some were also staged."
He also accused the NDC of trying to exaggerate a problem that truly existed.Â
"They were trying to exaggerate a problem that was truly there."
"What happened on Monday was not just people who were coming there with genuine concerns, people still come there with genuine concern, the Black Star Square may be closed today, if it's closed we still have our call centres to help people.
"I also know the text message which was sent to NDC communicators, that the process has been 75% successful but we should rather pick on what is happening at the Black Star Square meanwhile 15 other regional capitals nothing has happened there.."Â
Some of the fainting, agitation at Black Star Square was stage-managed
The Education Minister Matthew Opoku Prempeh alleged on Monday that the chaos witnessed at the Black Stars Square concerning the Computerised School Selection and Placement System for Senior High Schools (SHS) process was stage-managed.
Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh says people were bused to the venue to put up the drama where some parents were agitating and some students even collapsed.
READ ALSO:Â SHSÂ placement: Normalcy returns to Black Star Square after chaos (PHOTOS)
Dr Prempeh speaking on Ekosii Sen on Asempa FM said: "I will give myself 85% so far as an Education Minister, what we saw at the Independence Square with people agitating and fainting was all stage-managed, someone bused these people from places. Someone paid people to take photos so they broadcast it, someone who wants to be President in Ghana is behind this, he wants Ghana to be in a bad state because of his ambitions of becoming President. So I will say it again most of the people there were bused to come and act that way"
Background
There were reports of at least two teenagers collapsing at the Independence Square Monday, September 16, 2019, as frustrated prospective candidates and parents sought admission.
 The Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) was reportedly hacked, frustrating parents and guardians whose children were either not placed or wrongfully placed.
The situation led to people besieging the Black Star Square for solutions to their problems as the Ministry had established a centre there to address difficulties of parents and their children.
Anxiety, coupled with sheer heat and overcrowding at the centre caused some of the teenagers trapped in the centre of the activities to faint.
Cameras captured some of the fainted pupils being carried into ambulances stationed at the venue. The Black Star Square returned to its normal state after the chaos due to the GES intervention.
The process stopped abruptly on September 16, 2019, due to the chaos.
Students have been numbered and divided into two groups according to the schools given them by the GES.
This year's CSSPS has been faced with a lot of challenges, most JHS students have not been placed by the system forcing the Ghana Education Service, GES to provide options for self-placement.
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