The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has sounded a warning against the politicization of education in Ghana, stating that it has negative consequences for the country’s development.
Speaking at a ceremony to confer an honorary doctorate degree on him at the Cape Coast University on Thursday, Otumfuo expressed worry over what he described as unnecessary political interference in the country’s tertiary education institutions.
“Perhaps, one reason the role of academia has been downplayed is that we have allowed basic political division to permeate our campuses turning them into a battleground for partisan combat,” he said.
He added, “It is time in my view, for all of us to wake up to the negative impact this has caused and make an effort to reverse the situation, we can begin by fashioning a new relationship between the state and academia.”
Otumfuo’s comments come at a time when the politicization of education has become a major concern in Ghana. The Free SHS policy, which was introduced by the current government, has been hailed as a bold social intervention, but has also been criticized for its politicization.
“There is no doubt that the Free Senior High School educational policy is the most audacious piece of social intervention policy in the Fourth Republic,” Otumfuo said.
However, he expressed misgivings over the politicization of the policy, stating that it has the potential to undermine its effectiveness.
BY Daniel Bampoe