Former Minister for Education, Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh, has joined the national conversation on the recent renaming of some public universities, cautioning that the exercise should not be driven by what he described as narrow or self-serving interests.

According to Dr Opoku Prempeh, popularly known as NAPO, the decision to strip certain universities of the names of distinguished individuals while others remain untouched raises legitimate questions about consistency and historical fairness.

He warned that such actions risk distorting Ghana’s history rather than strengthening institutional identity.

Parliament recently passed legislation approving new names for several public universities, a move government says is intended to enhance global competitiveness and clarify institutional focus. As a result, C.K. Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences has been renamed the University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Navrongo, while Simon Diedong Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies is now the University of Business and Integrated Development Studies.

Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development has also been renamed the University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development, Kumasi.

Speaking at the 8th Opemsuo Lecture organised by the Ashanti Professionals Club in Kumasi, Dr Opoku Prempeh questioned why Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has been excluded from the renaming exercise.

He suggested that the selective nature of the changes points to an attempt to “rewrite Ghana’s history,” while the country’s intellectual class remains largely silent.

“I served as Minister of Education, and the original name, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, was established by Act 80 enacted by the CPP government,” he said.

“If KNUST can proudly bear the name of Dr Kwame Nkrumah, then why should others who played critical roles in the establishment of our universities not be similarly recognised?”

Dr Opoku Prempeh urged academics and opinion leaders to engage more actively in the debate, stressing that decisions affecting national heritage and educational institutions should be guided by principle, balance and respect for history, rather than expediency.