A fresh debate has emerged over who deserves credit for the most transformative educational reforms, following claims that Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, forme
A fresh debate has emerged over who deserves credit for the most transformative educational reforms, following claims that Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, former Minister of Education, played a leading role in their introduction.
Vincent Ekow Assafuah, who served as Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Education between 2017 and 2020, has publicly dismissed these assertions, describing them as revisionist and historically inaccurate.
The controversy stems from a recent statement authored by Yaw Opoku Mensah, spokesperson for Dr. Adutwum, which highlighted policies such as the Free Senior High School (FSHS), Double Track system, STEM education, and TVET retooling as part of his legacy.
But according to Assafuah, these landmark policies were conceived, approved, and executed during the tenure of Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, popularly known as NAPO, who served as substantive Minister of Education from 2017 to 2020.
Free Senior High School And Double Track
Ekow Assafuah insists that the Free Senior High School programme, launched on September 12, 2017, was the flagship policy of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, designed and championed by NAPO.
At the time, Dr. Adutwum had only just been sworn in as Deputy Minister and played no role in its cabinet approval. Similarly, the Double Track calendar, introduced in 2018 to manage soaring enrolments from FSHS, was presented and defended by NAPO before Cabinet and stakeholders, with no involvement from Adutwum.
STEM Education And Standardised Testing
On the subject of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), Assafuah traces its formal integration into Ghana’s curriculum to 2019 under NAPO’s leadership.
He notes that the Basic STEM curriculum at the primary level and advanced STEM at JHS/SHS were rolled out during this period, alongside contracts for the construction of STEM-focused institutions.
Likewise, the National Standardised Test (NST) was not an innovation of Dr. Adutwum, but a policy embedded in the broader curriculum reforms led by NaCCA under Prince Hamid Armah.
TVET Transformation
Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), another area where Adutwum’s team claims credit, is also disputed.
Ekow Assafuah points out that major reforms—including the establishment of the Commission for TVET (CTVET), Ghana TVET Service (GTVET), restructuring of the NVTI, and construction of 20 state-of-the-art TVET institutions—were undertaken under NAPO with Dr. Fred Kyei Asamoah of COTVET coordinating.
He stressed that Dr. Adutwum was not even part of the expert committee that designed the TVET policy framework.
Recognition and Awards
While Adutwum has been celebrated internationally, including receiving a certificate from U.S. Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Assafuah argues that such acknowledgments do not equate to recognition of policy authorship.
He contrasts this with the accolades given to NAPO, including Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education naming him “Minister of the Year” in 2020.
Locally, NAPO also won multiple excellence awards, cementing his reputation as a key driver of Ghana’s educational reforms.
Setting The Record Straight
Ekow Assafuah concedes that Dr. Adutwum recorded notable achievements during his tenure as Minister of Education between 2021 and 2024.
However, he stresses that the foundation of Ghana’s current education transformation was laid during NAPO’s era, and any attempt to rewrite this history risks distorting facts for political gain.
“Ghana’s educational transformation is a collective story, but the credit for its boldest and most impactful strides belongs squarely to the administration led by President Akufo-Addo with Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh as Minister of Education,” Ekow Assafuah emphasized.
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