By Francis Kobena Tandoh
Former Minister for Education, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, popularly known as Napo, has criticised the government’s decision to rename some public educational institutions in the country.
His comments come in the context of a new legislative move to amend the names of several public universities after they had previously been renamed under the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo-led administration.
According to him, the decision by the government to rename such public educational institutions demonstrates the ‘pettiness’ of the administration.
Dr Prempeh criticised the government for changing the names of some public universities but not others, noting that institutions like the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) were left unchanged while others were altered.
He argued there is nothing wrong with naming institutions after individuals who have significantly contributed to Ghana’s development, especially in education.
Dr Prempeh, running mate to Dr Mahamudu Bawumia in the 2024 presidential election in Ghana, also questioned why some contributors to national development are honoured through institutional names while others are not, suggesting this feels like discrimination.
He pointed out that KNUST was previously named after Kwame Nkrumah via legislation (Act 80) during the Convention People’s Party (CPP) government, indicating a precedent for naming institutions after individuals.
Dr Prempeh warned that repeated name changes by successive governments could hurt national development, particularly in the education sector. He framed the current approach as an attempt to erase parts of the country’s history and suggested that “some people want to redefine Ghana’s historical narrative starting from 1979.”
He also questioned why civil society, education sector professionals, and opinion leaders have remained largely silent on the renaming issue, implying a lack of inclusive public discourse.
These remarks came amid a broader political debate in Ghana, where the government led by President John Dramani Mahama is moving to reverse some of the university name changes instituted under the previous Nana Akufo-Addo administration.
Critics argue that renaming institutions can affect their identity and history, while supporters see it as a way to honour deserving figures.
Ghana’s Parliament in December 2025 effected amendments to the establishing Acts of some educational institutions, including C.K. Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences, which has been renamed to University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Navrongo.
Similarly, the Simon Diedong Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies has been renamed the University of Business and Integrated Development Studies, while the Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development has also been renamed the University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development, Kumasi.
These changes remove the personal names of individuals (e.g., C.K. Tedam, Simon Dombo, Akenten Appiah-Menka) and reframe the universities with geographic or institutional identity names. Enditem
Source: Ghana Eye Report
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