The choice of Naana Opoku-Agyemang is a clear indication that Mahama does not take electorates seriously—NPP
The choice of Naana Opoku-Agyemang is a clear indication that Mahama does not take electorates seriously—NPP
The choice of Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang by John Dramani Mahama is a clear indication that he does not take the Ghanaian electorate seriously, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Communication Director, Yaw Buaben Asamoah has said.
According to him, Ms Opoku-Agyemang stewardship in the past brought heartache to teachers and trauma to women.
In a congratulatory message to the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Asamoah stated that while they wished to congratulate the NDC, they also emphasised that they were ready to tell Ghanaians the danger she poses to national growth and development .
“Luckily for all of us Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang is not new to Ghana politics, and it is her performance during her period as a political appointee that we refer to.
Need we remind anyone that it was during the tenure of Naana Jane that training teachers’ allowances were scrapped.
It was done without paying any heed to the many appeals to reconsider the decision. Indeed, it was one of the things she was proud to have done,” he added.
Teachers, Mr Asamoah said were the hardest professionals who were hit by Naana Opoku Agyemang’s decision when she was at the helm of affairs at the Education Ministry.
“Apart from their transportation allowances not being paid, Naana Opoku Agyemang also introduced the practice of teachers working for two years without being paid and being restricted to being paid only three months back pay, no matter how long they had worked,” he added
The treatment, the NPP communications director termed as “in human” were meted out to teachers at the time Naana Opoku-Agyemang was the Minister for Education.
Mr Asamoah bemoaned that Naana Opoku-Agyemang treated teachers with cold heart even though she was a teacher and yet it was during her period that classroom teachers were denied common chalk to be able to write on blackboards.
“We remember the infamous we won’t give you chalk today or tomorrow, comment by Matilda Amissah-Arthur, and this was under the supervision of Naana Opoku Agyemang,” he stressed.
Mr Asamoah noted that Naana Opoku-Agyemang was at the side of the former President John Mahama when they failed to deliver on their promise of building 10 Colleges of Education.
“It was during her reign as Minister for Education that Teachers were always harassed by BNI Officials.
She presided over the freezing of employment in the Education Sector and the heightened corrupt practices at the N.S.S. Secretariat. Remember the Secretariat is under the direct supervision of the Ministry of Education. She has, recently, advised John Mahama to cancel the Licensure Examination for Teachers when, God forbid, they come to power,” he added.
During her tenure, Mr Asamoah stated that the funding for the Progressively Free SHS, School Feeding Program, Capitation Grant were all in arrears.
“She presided over the near-collapse of the scholarships Secretariat. Students on Foreign Scholarships were always complaining because their fees and other allowances were always in arrears. All these anomalies have since been corrected by the NPP,” he said.
Mr Asamoah reiterated that “it does not matter who the running mate is, if the main man himself is indecisive and incompetent, we still have a problem.”
BY JOYCELINE NATALLY CUDJOE
