Bawumia’s claims on education untrue – Ablakwa

The Deputy Education Minister in-charge of Tertiary Education, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has challenged running mate of the New Patriotic Party Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to substantiate claims he made on the educational sector during his lecture on Thursday.

Dr. Bawumia during his lecture at the National Theatre on Ghana’s economy alleged that the NDC government had constructed a bungalow at the Dambai College of Education at the cost of GHc900, 000.

Bawumia also claimed that the Bolgatanga and Wa polytechnics were established under the NPP, but responding to claims by the former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Ablakwa urged Dr. Bawumia to substantiate his allegations.

Ablakwa in a facebook post stated that “Bolgatanga and Wa Polytechnics were established in 1999 and had enrolled students long before the NPP came to power. His claims that the NPP established both Polytechnics is untrue.

“There is no Teacher's Bungalow project at Dambai College of Education built at GHS 900,000 in 2011. We have checked the records and hereby challenge him to prove his allegation.”

He added that “hard as I have tried, it's exceedingly worrying that I couldn't find a single truthful claim under the education component of Dr. Bawumia's unprovoked vicious attacks on President Mahama's Government.

Below is Ablakwa’s unedited Facebook post

Sammy Ablakwa writes

Fact Checking Dr. Bawumia on his Education claims:

1) Bolgatanga and Wa Polytechnics were established in 1999 and had enrolled students long before the NPP came to power. His claims that the NPP established both Polytechnics is untrue.

In any case, Dr. Bawumia should be telling Ghanaians why they failed in eight years to fulfill their promise of establishing a Polytechnic in EVERY District as contained on Page 29 of the NPP's 2000 Manifesto. (Yes you are right, One District One That is not a new trick in the NPP book).

Instead of accounting for the lost "Decentralized Polytechnics" (as the NPP Manifesto refers), Dr. Bawumia is rather attempting to obliterate President Rawlings' legacy in Bolga and Wa.

2) It is intellectually dishonest to claim that the NPP established UMaT which had existed under various forms since 1952. See the official website of the university: http://umat.edu.gh/about_umat/umat_main/university-history.html

3) Carrying out renovations in 36 Senior High Schools cannot be the same as establishing 36 Senior High Schools.

4) There is no Teacher's Bungalow project at Dambai College of Education built at GHS 900,000 in 2011. We have checked the records and hereby challenge him to prove his allegation.

I must add that I am not surprised Dr. Bawumia was this time round dead silent on initial claims he and his boss had trumpeted that current WASSCE results are the worse in history. Clearly, the self-professed lover of data does not appear to fancy that kind of data which cannot advance his political agenda.

Any wonder he conveniently ignored data on universal access to basic education, gender parity, time on task, social intervention programmes, scholarships, gross enrollment, text book to pupil ratio, pupil teacher ratio, TVET reforms, WASSCE awards, university rankings just to mention a few.

Hard as I have tried, it's exceedingly worrying that I couldn't find a single truthful claim under the education component of Dr. Bawumia's unprovoked vicious attacks on President Mahama's Government.

Let those who claim they created paradise in Ghana and yet Ghanaians voted them out in 2008 continue to live in that bubble. We have work to do and a nation to build under the inspiring, selfless, humble, visionary and unifying leadership of President Mahama.

We will stay focused on Changing Lives and Transforming Ghana.

God bless us all.