Deputy Education Minister Dr. Clement Abas Apaak has hit back at the New Patriotic Party (NPP) over its criticism of the Mahama administration’s handling of Ghana’s education sector.
In a Facebook post, Dr. Apaak said the Education Ministry would not only respond to what he described as lies and propaganda but would also highlight the record of the previous administration.
“The Honourable Minister for Education and I will not just counter the lies and propaganda of the NPP and our predecessors at MoE, we will expose their shameless hypocrisy,” he wrote.
He said the current administration would not rely on advice from those responsible for the challenges it inherited.
“We will not take guidance from the same people who created the crisis Ghanaians have mandated us to fix,” Dr. Apaak added.
According to him, the government recognises that significant work remains to be done but is taking steps to address the problems confronting the sector.
“Unlike them, we admit that there is more to be done. However, we are boldly addressing the challenges bedeviling the sector,” he said.
His comments follow a fresh dispute between Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu and his predecessor, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, over how to address challenges in the education sector.
Dr. Adutwum had offered to share his experience with Mr Iddrisu, describing the two as good friends and saying he remained available to provide guidance when needed.
Mr. Iddrisu, however, questioned what advice he could receive from his predecessor, citing infrastructure deficits, feeding challenges under Free SHS and the continued double-track system as some of the problems inherited by the current government.
