Education Ministers At Each Others Throat

WHEN in the process of putting his team together, President John Agyekum Kufuor paired Prof. Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi and Ms. Christine Churcher at the Ministry of Education, making the Prof. the substantive minister and the latter a junior with responsibility for primary, secondary and girl-child education, critical analysts, especially those privy to the internal politics within the NPP, knew for sure that the recipe for chaos, or if you like, an Israeli-Palestinian kind of co-existence had been created.

The potential for conflict was increased by the fact that the substantive minister, the Prof., was seen as an outsider being elevated over an indigene of the NPP, or, if you like, a Gentile being favoured to the detriment of a Jew.

NPP insiders disclosed to the Chronicle that though Ms. Churcher was qualified in all respects to be the substantive minister, she was bypassed because of her unbending loyalty to the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Nana Akufo Addo and some uncomplimentary pronouncements she had made about candidate J.A. Kufuor in the campaigns before the NPP congress in 1998.

The latent antagonism between the two ministers burst into the open over the transfer of a former Director of Finance and Administration of the ministry, Mr. Grant Essilfie.

Chronicle has learnt that just after assumption of office early last year, Professor Akumfi unilaterally made an attempt to transfer the aforementioned director because of his perceived close relationship with the former Minister of Education, Ekwow Spio Garbrah at the time when he (Prof. Akumfi) was the Director General of the Ghana Education Service (GES).

Ms. Churcher, upon hearing the news, took great exception to the minister’s perceived high-handed stance over the matter, saying she was resolved to work with any civil servant who was not involved in any fishy deal in the past, Chronicle gathered.

She therefore instituted an internal probe into the matter and found out that the said director did not misconduct himself, neither was he involved in anything that would warrant his transfer.

Chronicle can report that Ms. Churcher went further to retain Mr. Essilfie under her purview at the ministry much to the chagrin of the Professor.

This development widened the chasm, which already existed between the two ministers of state.

One source of conflict between Ms. Churcher and Prof. Akumfi, Chronicle learnt, is the issue of who has the final say in matters involving secondary education in Ghana.

Ministry of Education insiders told Chronicle that while Prof. Akumfi maintains that as the substantive Minister of Education he can wade into any matter involving education in Ghana, Ms. Churcher insists she has the final say in basic and secondary education matters.

Chronicle learnt, for instance, that the headmistress of Mfantsiman Secondary School at Saltpond is still at post in spite of the numerous reported lapses in her administration because Ms. Churcher, who is an old girl of that school, insists she should be there.

Sources close to the Castle told Chronicle that the President, having been hinted of the friction between the two ministers, mandated the then Chief of Staff, Jake Obetsebi- Lamptey, to impress upon the two to smoke the peace pipe.

The soft-spoken ex-Chief of Staff summoned them to a meeting to defuse the brewing tension.

According to the Chronicle sources at the Ministry of Education, the meeting, which took place at the Castle, only succeeded in defining the respective roles of the ministers, but did not close the widening differences between them .

Chronicle gathered that the two have returned to the status quo after resolving to turn a new leaf and work in concert to improve both the image and the performance of the ministry.

An insider hinted Chronicle that there is a complete lack of administrative cohesion at the ministry at the moment because of this potentially explosive tension at the place.

According to him, the rift, if not resolved, can dilute and whittle-down JAK’s efforts at reforming and strengthening the already battered educational sector.

“No meaningful gains can be achieved in an atmosphere of bickering and squabbles,” an insider bemoaned to the Chronicle.

NPP insiders told Chronicle that when late last year the Statesman, a pro-NPP paper owned by Nana Akufo-Addo, launched a diatribe against Prof. Ameyaw Akumfi, describing hm as ‘disgraceful’, they knew it was part of the war manoeuvres.

When Chronicle contacted Professor Akumfi-Ameyaw for his reaction to the matter, he conceded that there had been a minor disagreement between himself and Ms. Churcher over the transfer of a former staff of the ministry.

In a very receptive and accommodating tone, he said he had no reason to believe that there is strife between them, after being reconciled by the affable ex-Chief of Staff, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey.

When Chronicle contacted Ms Churcher yesterday on phone after almost four days of efforts, she declined to comment saying she is sick.

She however appealed to Chronicle to wait for her to recuperate and assume her official duties on Tuesday before she can give any reaction adding that issue is delicate and needs more attention.