MoE explains ‘secondment’ of ex-GES DG Opoku Amankwa

The Ministry of Education after President Akufo-Addo terminated the contract of Prof Opoku Amankwa as the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service has said the ex-GES official was not sacked but rather relieved of duty.

The Education Ministry’s clarification follows reportage by several local media outlets and online news portals indicating Mr Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa was sacked or dismissed by His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

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In a statement from a spokesperson for the Ministry of Education, Kwasi Kwarteng and copied to AcademicWeek said Prof Kwasi Amankwa rather was relieved of his responsibilities as secondment staff to the Ghana Education Service.

“He was not sacked but rather relieved of his responsibilities as secondment staff to the Ghana Education Service to enable him to continue his service to Ghana at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology,” he stated.

The Ministry in charge of Education press statement continued that “we hope this clarifies the issue surrounding the announcement regarding the termination of his secondment to Ghana Education Sevice (GES).”

Kwasi Amankwa October 18, 2022, was asked to step down as Director-General of GES. He took over the Ghana Education Service (GES) Director-General position from Mr Jacob Kor who served from January 2015 to April 2017.

“The Ministry of Education (MoE) has informed this Office (Presidency) that the exigencies that required your skills and expertise as Director-General of the Ghana Education Service do not exist any longer

The President thanks you for your service to the nation and wishes you the very best in your future endeavours”, the letter dated Monday, October 18, 2022, from the Office of the Presidency announcing his dismissal stated.

Before he was appointed Director-General of GES, he held several positions at both national and international levels including Dean of the Faculty of Art, Vice Dean and Head of the Department of Publishing at KNUST.

After a series of higher education, the Professor was appointed lecturer at the KNUST in 1999 and by dint of hard work, he was promoted to senior lecturer 10 years afterwards and became an Associate Professor in 2014.

Following President Nana Akufo-Addo’s dismissal of Prof Amankwa as the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), teacher unions have described His Excellency’s move as disappointing, worrying and surprising.