Former Minister of Education and NPP 2024 presidential running mate, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has criticised the government over the approval of a new legislation amending the names of three public universities.
He questioned why the government renamed C.K. Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Simon Diedong Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies, and Akenten Appiah‑Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development, yet left the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) untouched.
Dr. Opoku Prempeh made the remarks at the 8th “Opɛmsuo Lecture” organised by the Asante Professional Club, held in Kumasi.
He argued that there is nothing wrong with naming institutions after individuals who have made significant contributions to Ghana’s development, especially in education.
“We wake up and they say they have changed the names of some schools, but for KNUST, they do nothing, and you can’t understand it. It feels like discrimination,” he said.
He added that he does not see why a university can be named after Kwame Nkrumah while other contributors cannot receive similar recognition.
Dr. Prempeh also wondered why civil society organisations in the education sector, professors, and opinion leaders have remained silent on the matter.
He noted that KNUST was named after Kwame Nkrumah by the Convention People’s Party (CPP) government.
“I have been in the Education Ministry before, so I know what I am saying. It was Act 80 that allowed us to name the Tech University after Kwame Nkrumah, and that was during the CPP government,” he said.
The former Education Minister warned that frequent name changes by successive governments would not benefit the nation’s progress, particularly in the education sector.
He noted that the current move appears to be an attempt to cut some portion of the country’s history.
“In Ghana, it seems some people want us to start our history from 1979,” he claimed.
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