The spokesperson for the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has strongly rejected claims that President John Dramani Mahama has abandoned the Minister to deal with the challenges confronting Ghana’s education sector.
According to Hashmin Mohammed, claims by former Manhyia North MP, Collins Owusu Amankwah, suggesting that the President had left Mr Iddrisu to struggle with challenges in the sector were “factually wrong, politically convenient and completely unsupported by the evidence” .
In a statement issued on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, Mr Mohammed said attempts to portray challenges associated with the 2026 Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) as evidence of presidential neglect were an effort to create a false political narrative.
“The attempt to portray the challenges associated with the 2026 Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) as evidence of presidential neglect is nothing more than an attempt to manufacture a political narrative where none exists,” he said .
CSSPS Reforms Underway
Mr Mohammed maintained that the CSSPS was functioning and undergoing reforms to address longstanding weaknesses and improve the experience of students, parents and schools.
He said the Ministry of Education inherited a system that required significant reforms but had chosen to confront the challenges rather than continue blaming previous administrations.
“The Hon. Minister has chosen to confront the problems head-on, strengthening the system, improving accountability and putting mechanisms in place to make placement more transparent, responsive and efficient,” he stated .
According to him, the decentralisation of placement resolution centres was among the interventions introduced to bring assistance closer to parents and students and reduce the difficulties associated with resolving placement-related concerns.
He argued that challenges associated with a complex national placement exercise should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of a lack of government support.
President’s Support Reflected in Policies
Mr Mohammed stressed that President Mahama remained firmly behind Mr Iddrisu and the reforms being undertaken in the education sector.
“President John Dramani Mahama did not appoint Hon. Haruna Iddrisu to fail. He appointed him to fix problems. And he is supporting him to do exactly that,” he said .
He said the President’s support was reflected in government policies, resource allocation and interventions aimed at transforming the education sector.
According to the spokesperson, the government is simultaneously addressing infrastructure deficits, expanding school capacity and improving access to teaching and learning materials.
He said the objective was to create sufficient capacity in both Category A and Category B schools to ensure Ghanaian children were not denied access to quality secondary education because of inadequate infrastructure or limited school capacity.
Background: The 2026 CSSPS Controversy
The 2026 CSSPS was released on September 4, 2026, and has generated significant controversy across the country.
According to Ministry of Education figures, 527,932 of the 604,567 candidates who qualified for placement were successfully placed, representing 87.3 percent. However, 76,635 qualified candidates were not automatically placed .
The Ministry attributed the challenge to a mismatch between where vacancies exist and where students want to go. According to official data, 313,283 candidates selected Category A schools as their first choice, competing for just 76,417 declared vacancies .
The situation has led to thousands of parents thronging the National Placement Resolution Centre at GNAT Hall in Accra and other designated centres across the country to seek redress .
Some parents have alleged irregularities in the placement process, including cases where students’ placements reportedly changed after initially checking the system. One parent claimed his son, who obtained an aggregate of 7, initially secured Achimota School, only for the placement to change to Swedru Senior High School when they attempted to print the document .
Others have raised concerns about being asked to pay money to facilitate placements, with one parent alleging that officials were demanding GH¢13,000 at Kasoa .
Minority Leader Raises Alarm
The controversy has drawn political attention, with Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin warning that Ghana’s future is at risk if urgent measures are not taken to address the challenges confronting the education system.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, Mr Afenyo-Markin said 183,233 young people completed secondary school without obtaining a credit pass in Core Mathematics, while the credit pass rate in English Language fell to 62.40 percent, its lowest level in four years .
He also expressed concern over the placement of BECE candidates, saying 54,985 candidates were initially denied automatic placement into senior high schools .
“A self-placement portal is not a school place; every child needs an actual seat in a functioning classroom,” he said.
Former MP’s Claims
The controversy intensified when Collins Owusu Amankwah, former Manhyia North MP, claimed that President Mahama deliberately placed Mr Iddrisu at the Education Ministry to damage his political future.
“What is happening in the education system, I don’t want to believe that Mahama deliberately put Haruna Iddrisu in that ministry to disgrace him. Mahama wants to ruin Haruna’s political career. It is intentional, and that is why he placed him at the Education Ministry,” he said on Asempa FM on September 8, 2026 .
Mr Owusu Amankwah criticised the handling of this year’s school placement exercise, arguing that the situation appears to have defeated the purpose for which the CSSPS was introduced.
“The CSSPS was carefully thought through to help avoid such placement issues. What is happening? We are back to square one,” he stated .
Government’s Education Investments
The government has pointed to significant investments in the education sector as evidence of its commitment to reform.
In June 2026, Ghana secured a $300 million World Bank financing package to support the phasing out of the double-track system in Senior High Schools by 2027. The initiative, known as the Secondary Education Transformation for Access, Results and Relevance for Jobs (STAR-J) Project, aims to expand access, improve quality, and modernise management systems nationwide .
Under this project, 30 Category C senior high schools will be upgraded to Category B, while 20 Category B schools will be upgraded to Category A .
Additionally, the Education Ministry has unveiled a GH¢3 billion infrastructure programme designed to permanently end the double-track system. The plan includes the construction of 10 new Senior High Schools, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions, and Special Schools, as well as the rehabilitation of 150 Senior High Schools across the country .
The programme also includes the supply of desks to underserved schools and the printing and distribution of textbooks to all Senior High School students .
Call for Fact-Based Discourse
Mr Mohammed urged political actors to ensure that discussions surrounding education were based on facts rather than political convenience.
“We appreciate the former MP’s interest in Ghana’s education sector. But public discourse on education must be based on facts, not political convenience,” he said .
He added that presenting every challenge encountered during the implementation of a national programme as evidence of presidential failure would not contribute to solving the underlying problems.
“The reality is that the Mahama administration inherited challenges across the education sector and has chosen to confront them through reform, investment and institutional strengthening,” he stated .
Mr Mohammed maintained that the CSSPS was being improved rather than abandoned, while the Education Minister was receiving the necessary support to address challenges in the sector.
“The CSSPS is being improved, not abandoned. The Education Minister is being supported, not isolated. And the education sector is being reformed, not left to drift,” he said .
He insisted that President Mahama had given Mr Iddrisu the mandate, political backing and institutional support to address the problems he inherited.
“Those who have genuine concerns about education are welcome to contribute constructive ideas. But attempts to turn every reform challenge into evidence of presidential abandonment will not change the facts,” he added.
“The Government is fixing the system. The reforms are underway. And President Mahama remains firmly behind the Education Minister.”
