Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has dismissed former Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum’s offer to provide guidance on managing Ghana’s education sector, arguing that the Mahama administration inherited unresolved challenges from the previous government.
Mr Iddrisu said the scale of the problems confronting the education sector made it difficult for him to see what useful advice he could seek from his predecessor, who served under the Akufo-Addo administration.
He made the remarks in an interview with TV3 on Friday, September 11, 2026, amid renewed debate over the performance of Ghana’s education system and efforts to reform it.
Dr Adutwum had previously said he was willing to share his experience with Mr Iddrisu, describing the two as friends and indicating that he remained available to offer advice on managing the sector.
Mr Iddrisu, however, said the current administration inherited what he described as a “despondent educational system”, citing infrastructure gaps, challenges with feeding under the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme and the continued operation 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.
Double-track system
The Education Minister particularly questioned whether Dr Adutwum could advise the government on how to end the double-track system, which was introduced under the previous administration to accommodate increased enrolment following the introduction of Free SHS.
Mr Iddrisu argued that seeking advice from the person who was part of the administration that introduced the system would not resolve the challenges associated with it.
“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.
Free SHS feeding challenges
Mr Iddrisu also cited feeding difficulties in some senior high schools as part of the challenges inherited by the Mahama administration.
He said some schools previously experienced shortages of food for students, resulting in disruptions to academic activities.
According to him, President John Dramani Mahama’s decision to uncap the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) and make additional resources available for student feeding had helped improve the situation.
The Minister said the government was therefore focused on addressing the structural and operational challenges confronting the education sector rather than relying on advice from those responsible for policies that had created some of the difficulties.
His comments have added a new dimension to the ongoing political debate over the legacy of the previous administration’s education policies, particularly Free SHS and the double-track system.
