A spokesperson for former Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has challenged claims that the Ghana Education Service (GES) still relies heavily on manual processes, insisting that several digital platforms to address such challenges were introduced years ago.

In a statement signed by Yaw Opoku Mensah, spokesperson for Dr Adutwum, the former minister's office said the digital systems being advocated by the current Education Minister had already been developed and implemented within the GES.

The statement called for the restoration and improvement of the platforms, rather than the introduction of new systems to address challenges that had already been tackled.

“The digitalisation the Minister is advocating already exists within GES. What is required now is its restoration, sustained use and further improvement,” the statement said.

The response follows comments by the current Education Minister in a video about manual data entry within the GES.

According to Mr Opoku Mensah, those comments risk creating the impression that the Service had not previously undertaken significant digital reforms.

He said GES began its digital transformation efforts in 2017 with the aim of reducing paperwork, improving data management and speeding up service delivery.

Among the platforms introduced were the GES Recruitment and Promotions platforms, Smart Workplace, the Self-Placement Recruitment Platform and the Ghana Education Service Management Information System (GESMIS).

The statement said the recruitment and promotions platforms were designed to simplify staff administration and reduce delays in processes affecting teachers and other GES employees.

The systems allowed promotions and related administrative matters to be processed more efficiently while reducing the need for staff to repeatedly submit supporting documents.

“These reforms directly addressed delays and paperwork in services affecting staff welfare and career progression,” the statement said.

The former minister's spokesperson argued that these systems demonstrated that digitalisation had already been applied to key areas of GES administration.

The statement also highlighted the Self-Placement Recruitment Platform, which was introduced in 2024.

It said the platform allowed newly recruited teachers to select their preferred regions, districts and schools before printing their appointment letters online.

According to the statement, more than 12,000 newly recruited teachers across the country used the platform to print their appointment letters in less than four hours.

The spokesperson said the exercise demonstrated how digital platforms could reduce administrative pressure while giving teachers greater control over their placements.

“This platform demonstrated the capacity of digital systems to simplify recruitment and placement, reduce administrative burdens and give teachers greater choice over where they would work,” the statement said.

The statement also pointed to Smart Workplace, which it said was introduced to digitise internal communication and administrative processes at the GES headquarters.

The platform allowed memos, correspondence and other official communications to be processed electronically, reducing the need to move physical files between offices.

It added that customised official email accounts were also introduced for GES staff, beginning at the headquarters, with plans to extend the system progressively to the school level.

The initiative, according to the statement, was intended to reduce dependence on paper-based communication and improve the speed of official business within the Service.

Another major digital initiative cited in the statement is the Ghana Education Service Management Information System (GESMIS).

The system was designed to improve the collection, processing and management of data from schools through district and regional offices to the GES headquarters.

The statement said GESMIS was intended to reduce repeated manual data entry and provide a coordinated system for administration and decision-making across the Service.

It added that Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum officially launched GESMIS in 2024 as part of efforts to improve efficiency, transparency, accountability and service delivery.

The spokesperson stressed that the various reforms were not merely proposals but had already been implemented.

“All these achievements are documented in the official handing-over notes to the current Director-General of the Service,” the statement said.

Mr Opoku Mensah said the current debate should distinguish between the absence of digital systems and the discontinuation of systems that had already been developed and put into use.

He argued that the platforms had been created specifically to reduce the administrative burdens that staff and stakeholders were now experiencing.

“GES had already established platforms to address these processes. Their use has since been discontinued, bringing back the administrative burdens they were introduced to reduce,” the statement said.

The spokesperson said digital transformation required continuity, arguing that systems must be maintained and staff supported to use them effectively.

“Digital transformation requires continuity. Platforms must be maintained, staff must be supported to use them, and implementation challenges must be resolved,” he said.

He further cautioned against presenting the return of manual processes as evidence that digitalisation had never been undertaken within GES.

“Discontinuing their use and then presenting the resulting manual processes as evidence that digitalisation has yet to begin gives an incomplete account of the institution’s progress,” the statement added.

The former minister's spokesperson called on the Education Ministry and GES leadership to investigate why the platforms were no longer being used and take steps to restore them.

He said technical and administrative problems affecting the systems should be identified and addressed, while improvements could be made to the existing platforms where necessary.

“The immediate task is to establish why these platforms are no longer being used, restore their operation and address any technical or administrative gaps,” the statement said.

“Where improvements are needed, the existing systems provide a foundation to build on.”

The statement also urged the current Education Minister to examine the official handing-over notes and engage the officers who were responsible for implementing the reforms.

“The Minister should review the handing-over notes, engage the officers responsible for implementing these reforms and obtain a full briefing on the platforms’ functions and current status,” it said.

According to the spokesperson, such a review would help the Ministry identify the resources and interventions needed to restore and strengthen the systems rather than starting the digitalisation process from scratch.

He said continuity was particularly important for GES staff and other stakeholders who rely on the Service's administrative systems.

“GES staff and stakeholders deserve continuity in service delivery. Ghanaians also deserve an explanation of why established digital platforms have been discontinued,” the statement concluded.