The spokesperson for the Education Ministry says there is nothing strange about changing the colours of basic public schools.
Kwasi Kwarteng said people should understand the context and not misconstrue it to mean that the Ministry has introduced new uniforms.
In an interview on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Friday, April 26, he said Dr Yaw Adutwum “was talking about aggressive intervention or steps to be able to revolutionise and rebrand public schools.”
However, his response is in contradiction to the Education Minister’s disclosure during a forum titled ‘The Free SHS story’ in Accra on Tuesday, April 23, that the brown and yellow uniforms would be replaced.
“We are changing the uniforms of public basic schools in the country. The yellow and brown that you see now, you will see no more. Reformation is coming to a community near you, and you will see it.”
“This is President Akufo-Addo and Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia’s Ghana, we have begun the transformation, there is no reason that we shouldn’t, Ghanaians deserve better and we are going to give them better…something that we are all going to be proud of,” the Minister added.
Dr Yaw Adutwum explained that this initiative is a component of the government’s broader efforts to demonstrate that its priorities extend beyond secondary education alone.
He admitted that basic education has been the weakest link in the education sector from time immemorial.
In his defence, Mr Kwarteng said, the Minister spoke about how the sector needs an “aggressive overhauling and rebranding to ensure that we restore public confidence.
“He said the average Ghanaian does not want to associate himself with basic education and has lost confidence in public basic schools and there is a responsibility on leadership to take a deliberate step to ensure there is a facelift,” Mr Kwarteng said.
According to Mr Kwarteng, the Minister spoke about many interventions including the uniform issue which is a “futuristic proposal”.
Dr Yaw Adutwum “spoke about the fact that even after all these interventions, the uniform issue needs to be examined…we also have to critically look at the perception people have on the uniform the public basic schools use.”
Mr Kwarteng said the Education Minister was talking about how the change in uniform will repose people’s confidence, trust and value that people will place in the new uniform will commiserate with the interventions.
“It was not as though the Minister made a deliberate unveiling of steps to introduce new uniforms but deepening quality and rebranding the whole public education system,” he stated.