Okudzeto Ablakwa reacts to ‘Ghana’s schools of shame’ documentary

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a member of parliament for the North Tongu Constituency, said commented on the Ghana's Schools of Shame documentary on Joy News.


The former Deputy Minister of Education said that the effects shown in the documentary should be a "scar on our conscience," and that people should be outraged by things like that.

He said that it's all because the Minister of Education and the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES) want to sit in Accra and control all the resources and don't give the districts enough power.

"When you sit in Accra, you're tempted to do the highfalutin thing because you're always driving by the Morning Stars and the Association International School, which don't have those problems, and it's easy to lose sight of the real problems," he said on Accra-based Metro TV.


He said that the Ministry of Education should work with other people in the sector at the District and Municipal assembly levels.

He said, "Have them show their budget to the district director of education. If it's okayed, the money goes straight to them." They know what's important."

He went on to say, "Imagine a situation in which the District Directors of Education are held to clear KPIs based on the needs they have submitted, and then they are given money.

"If they get their money in the middle of the year and don't meet those needs, you can hire them or even fire them based on the fact that you gave them money. They have no reason to lie to you."

The MP said that if the right people don't do something about these problems, "we'll just be marking time."

The Education Minister, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, said that the documentary made him feel ashamed.

He thought that the documentary could have focused on positive stories about how Ghana is making progress in the sector despite its problems instead of showing how some basic schools are severely lacking in facilities.