Former Education Minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, has argued against blaming the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) for challenges associated with school placement.
According to the Bosomtwe legislator, any concerns about the system should instead lead to a review of the policies and algorithms used to develop and operate the placement software.
Speaking to the issue Dr Adutwum said the focus should not be on the computer itself because it only carries out instructions given to it.
“You see, it’s not a computer. It’s the algorithm. It’s what you tell the computer to do,” he said.
His comments came in response to a question on whether the CSSPS needs to be overhauled or maintained in its current form.
Dr Adutwum explained that changing the outcome of the placement process would require examining the policies that guide the system rather than simply replacing or altering the computerised platform.
“So if you want to change anything, it’s the policy that you put in place to regulate the computer that you have to re-examine,” he said.
He said that the computer should not be blamed for decisions produced by a system because it simply follows the instructions programmed into it.
“It’s not so much to blame the computer. A computer is not a human being,” Dr Adutwum said.
He said attention should instead be directed at the software development process and the policies that determine how the placement algorithm works.
“If we have anything to do, it’s an examination of policies that the software developers use in creating the software,” he explained.
Dr Adutwum therefore believes any review of the CSSPS should focus primarily on the rules and policies governing the system.
“That’s the software we should be examining. It’s policy and not so much the computer placement,” he said.
