When Dr. Matthew Opoku-Prempeh was appointed the Minister for Education in 2017, some political actors advised him against taking the job whilst some feared that was the end of his career.
This fear stemmed from the fact that most people presumed the ministry was a ghost ministry and that the minister designate will lose his relevance and finally fade out of the political scene but this happened otherwise.
The Minister for Education, Matthew Opoku-Prempeh who has rather become more prominent after assuming the office of the Minister for Education has asserted that he was appointed to head the ministry to protect the legacy of the New Patriotic Party and President Akufo-Addo.
Speaking in an interview with Happy 98.9 FM’s Samuel Eshun, host of the Happy Morning Show, the Minister said, “Every ministerial job is equal and important. The work the office holder does will determine if the office is relevant or not. The president wanted me to take care of his legacy and a lot of people did not understand him (president) then but I got to understand that after assuming the office.”
Dr. Matthew Opoku-Prempeh motioned that the ministry was drowning in huge debt when he assumed office and some high ranking members of the NPP even asked the president to take back the promise of free SHS.
“There were huge debts. Scholarships and books had not being paid for when I took over from Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang but I was going to manage and build the legacy of the president. Some NPP top hierarchy even told us to apologize to the nation for making the free SHS promise.”
He revealed that after these publications were made, the president called him and asked if the free SHS policy was going to be possible. “These comments had gotten to the president and after his question, I laughed and told him it was going to be possible.”
The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Tuesday, 12th September, 2017, launched the Free Senior High School policy, describing the programme as the means to creating a society of opportunities and empowerment for every citizen.
Launching the policy, the president said, “We lift the financial burden off our parents, and the heart-rending anxiety that accompanies the beginning of every school term. We have a sacred duty to our children and the generations beyond in ensuring that irrespective of their circumstances, their right to an education is preserved. That is why government has decided to absorb all Senior High School fees that have been agreed between the Ghana Education Service Council and the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS).”
By: Joel Sanco
