'I left with scars' - NAPO reflects on four years as education minister

The former Minister of Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, popularly known as NAPO, has described his four-year tenure as Minister of Education as a challenging journey that left him with "scars."

Speaking during an interview in a video shared on X by Citi FM, the former education minister remarked, “Four years in the Ministry of Education, I left with scars—health scars.”

Despite the challenges, he described his tenure as transformative, saying, “The work was so impactful; that’s what kept me going.”

Reflecting on his achievements, he noted, “When I looked back for the first time, the Cabinet Secretary decided to honor me just for the number of policies we brought out.”

NAPO highlighted the significant transformations in education under his leadership, stating, “We changed everything from basic education, from early childhood education through to university.

"We introduced early childhood education policy, primary school policy, junior high school policy, university policy, and tertiary education policy—the first of its kind in the country," he mentioned.

NAPO continued, “We also completely overhauled technical vocational education and teacher training. We saw these reforms through. If someone says data speaks, results speak.”

NAPO’s tenure as education minister remains one of the most notable in Ghana's recent history due to its extensive reforms across the educational sector.

‘4 years in Education Ministry left me with scars—health scars from the tremendous workload. But we have seen the results!’- Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh reflects on his tenure as Education Minister. #CitiNewsroom #ElectionBureau #CitiVerify pic.twitter.com/BnadpanurD

— CITI FM 97.3 (@Citi973) January 6, 2025