Adutwum cannot claim credit for major education policies under Akufo-Addo – NAPO

A rejoinder from the Office of Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh insists recent attempts to credit Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum with major education reforms under former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo distort the historical record.

The statement, signed by Nana Agyemang Duah, P.A. to Dr. Prempeh, challenges a November 29 publication that attributed landmark policy achievements to Dr. Adutwum, who served as Deputy Education Minister between 2017 and 2021 before becoming the substantive minister in Akufo-Addo’s second term.

The office describes the claims as “a blatant and factually inaccurate revision of the history of educational reforms in Ghana.”

According to the rejoinder, Dr. Prempeh’s tenure as Education Minister led the execution of President Akufo-Addo’s transformation agenda.

“Dr. Prempeh has always maintained that the accomplishments in the Education sector were the execution of President Akufo-Addo’s vision,” the statement noted. “He is not inclined to take personal credit for the President’s agenda.”

The office argues that several major reforms, including the Education Strategic Plan (ESP) 2018–2030, Free SHS implementation, the 2019 Integrated Science pass rate improvements, curriculum reforms, teacher education restructuring, and the introduction of the double-track system, were conceived and delivered under Dr. Prempeh’s leadership.

“To label the ESP as ‘Dr. Adutwum’s plan’ is an unambiguous attempt at historical misappropriation,” the statement said.

On Free SHS, the office stressed that the policy rollout in 2017, the modelling, financing, data audits and EMIS reforms were all led under Dr. Prempeh.

“It is historically inaccurate to credit the successful implementation of Free SHS to Dr. Adutwum,” it added.

The statement also disputes suggestions that key gains in WASSCE Integrated Science performance occurred during Dr. Adutwum’s substantive term.

“WAEC statistics show the jump to 62.94% occurred in 2019, firmly within Dr. Prempeh’s tenure,” it said.

On curriculum changes, the office emphasised that “all major reforms, including the Standards-Based Curriculum and the Common Core Curriculum, were executed between 2017 and 2020,” while describing claims of sole credit by Dr. Adutwum as “misleading and unfair to the Ministry and Agencies.”

It further argued that technological integration, STEM foundation work, TVET expansion frameworks, and sector data reforms originated before 2021.

“Facts must remain facts,” the statement stressed. “The attempt to reassign achievements from 2017 to 2021 to any individual who neither initiated nor led them is unacceptable.”

NAPO’s office urged ‘Team Adutwum’ to retract the claims and “focus their campaign on verifiable achievements.”