President John Mahama has not abandoned Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu to deal with challenges confronting Ghana’s education sector alone, the Minister’s spokesperson, Hashmin Mohammed, has said.
According to Mr Mohammed, claims by former Manhyia North MP Collins Owusu Amankwah that President Mahama had left Mr Iddrisu to struggle with challenges in the sector were “factually wrong, politically convenient and completely unsupported by the evidence”.
He said attempts to use challenges associated with the 2026 Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) as evidence of presidential neglect were intended to create a false political narrative.
“The attempt to portray the challenges associated with the 2026 Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) as evidence of presidential neglect is nothing more than an attempt to manufacture a political narrative where none exists,” he said.
Mr Mohammed maintained that the CSSPS was functioning and undergoing reforms aimed at addressing longstanding weaknesses and improving the experience of students, parents and schools.
He said the Ministry of Education inherited a system that required significant reforms but had chosen to address the challenges rather than continue blaming previous administrations.
“The Hon. Minister has chosen to confront the problems head-on, strengthening the system, improving accountability and putting mechanisms in place to make placement more transparent, responsive and efficient,” he stated.
According to him, the decentralisation of placement resolution centres was among the interventions introduced to bring assistance closer to parents and students and ease the difficulties associated with resolving placement concerns.
He argued that challenges arising from the implementation of a complex national placement exercise should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of a lack of government support.
Mr Mohammed stressed that President Mahama remained firmly behind Mr Iddrisu and the reforms being undertaken in the education sector.
“President John Dramani Mahama did not appoint Hon. Haruna Iddrisu to fail. He appointed him to fix problems. And he is supporting him to do exactly that,” he said.
He said the President’s support was reflected in government policies, resource allocation and interventions aimed at transforming the education sector.
Mr Mohammed added that the government was simultaneously addressing infrastructure deficits, expanding school capacity and improving access to teaching and learning materials.
He said the objective was to create sufficient capacity in Category A and B senior high schools to ensure that Ghanaian children were not denied access to quality secondary education because of inadequate infrastructure or limited school capacity.
The spokesperson urged political actors to ensure that discussions on education were based on facts rather than political convenience.
“We appreciate the former MP’s interest in Ghana’s education sector. But public discourse on education must be based on facts, not political convenience,” he said.
He added that presenting every challenge encountered during the implementation of a national programme as evidence of presidential failure would not contribute to addressing the underlying problems.
“The reality is that the Mahama administration inherited challenges across the education sector and has chosen to confront them through reform, investment and institutional strengthening,” he stated.
Mr Mohammed maintained that the CSSPS was being improved rather than abandoned, while Mr Iddrisu was receiving the necessary support to address challenges in the sector.
“The CSSPS is being improved, not abandoned. The Education Minister is being supported, not isolated. And the education sector is being reformed, not left to drift,” he said.
He insisted that President Mahama had given Mr Iddrisu the mandate, political backing and institutional support to address the problems he inherited.
“Those who have genuine concerns about education are welcome to contribute constructive ideas. But attempts to turn every reform challenge into evidence of presidential abandonment will not change the facts,” he added.
“The Government is fixing the system. The reforms are underway. And President Mahama remains firmly behind the Education Minister.”