Government rejects ‘manufactured narrative’ of neglect
TNR Files
President John Dramani Mahama has not abandoned Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu to struggle alone, the government has insisted, dismissing as “factually erroneous and politically motivated” suggestions that the president has left the sector to drift.
The rebuttal follows criticism from former Manhyia North MP Collins Owusu Amankwah, who sought to frame operational challenges in the 2026 Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) as evidence of presidential neglect. Government sources described the narrative as manufactured and without basis.
The CSSPS, they insist, is functional and far from being abandoned, the ministry is actively reforming and strengthening it to correct long-standing weaknesses.
Officials point to tangible policy direction, resource allocation, and interventions designed to transform the sector including the decentralisation of placement resolution centres to make the process more transparent and responsive to families.
“President Mahama did not appoint Haruna Iddrisu to fail; he appointed him to resolve deep-seated issues,” a source close to the presidency told The New Republic. “The president is providing full support to achieve exactly that.”
The government is simultaneously addressing infrastructure deficits and expanding capacity in Category A and Category B schools, interventions designed to ensure students are not denied access to quality secondary education due to a lack of facilities.
The administration has taken a notably defensive posture, arguing that public discourse must be grounded in facts, not political convenience. “If every hurdle encountered during the implementation of a national programme is labelled as presidential failure, such commentary contributes nothing to the solution,” one official remarked.
The Mahama administration inherited challenges across the education sector, they argue, and is tackling them through reform, investment, and institutional strengthening. The CSSPS is being improved, not abandoned.
The education minister is empowered, not isolated. And the sector is undergoing active reform, not drifting.
Those with genuine concerns are welcome to offer constructive solutions, government sources said. “However, attempts to twist reform challenges into tales of abandonment will not alter the facts: the government is fixing the system, and President Mahama remains firmly behind the education minister.”