Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has questioned what advice he could seek from his predecessor, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, on addressing Ghana’s education challenges, arguing that the Mahama administration inherited a system burdened by significant problems.

Dr Adutwum, a former Education Minister, had offered to share his experience with Mr Iddrisu, saying the two were good friends and that he remained available to assist whenever his successor needed guidance on running the education system.

Mr Iddrisu, however, said the current administration inherited an education sector facing infrastructure deficits, food shortages under the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme and the continued burden of the double-track system.

“So, when he says come to me for advice, what advice? Advice that you left a despondent educational system is what President Mahama inherited,” he said.

He made the comments in an interview with TV3 on Friday, September 11.

‘Advice to end double-track?’

Mr Iddrisu also questioned whether Dr Adutwum could offer useful guidance on ending the double-track system, which was introduced under the previous administration as part of efforts to accommodate increased enrolment following the introduction of Free SHS.

“Am I going to go to Minister Adutwum to seek for advice to end double track? When he invented double track and knows the consequences of double track on the quality of education? I should go for advice on that? Interesting times,” he said.

The Education Minister further pointed to challenges with feeding in some senior high schools under the previous administration.

He said some schools had struggled to provide adequate food for students, resulting in temporary disruptions to academic activities.

Mr Iddrisu also credited President John Dramani Mahama’s decision to uncap the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) and allocate funding towards the feeding of students with improvements in the provision of food in schools.

His comments come amid a wider debate over the state of Ghana’s education sector and the measures being implemented by the current administration to address challenges inherited from the previous government.