Also known as: Dr. Adutwum · Dr. Osei Adutwum · Hon. Dr. Osei Adutwum · Minister Adutwum · former Education Minister · former Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum
Former Education Minister who comments on education policy, child protection, and school administration in Ghana.
News reports
Order a long-term news report on Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum
Every mention in the Ghanaian press over the period you choose, compiled as a PDF or Word document.
Verbatim sentences from the source article.
Joy Online
Spokesperson for former Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, Yaw Opoku Mensah, has challenged the Education Minister’s spokesperson to verify his facts after he allegedly claimed on Joy Prime that no textbooks were developed or provided for the implementation of Ghana’s new cu …
Don’t be an agent of misinformation — Opoku Mensah warns Education Minister’s spokespersonJoy Online
… So, it happened that in September 2024, the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, spoke to me personally to help supply maize to senior high schools in the Ashanti Region. …
Open SOS call to President Mahama for justiceJoy Online
Former Minister for Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, has called on the government to prioritise investments in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), and robotics education, stressing that such interventions are crucial to Ghana’s tr …
Adutwum pushes for AI investment at KNUST, urges government to sustain STEM reformsJoy Online
… Kwaku Asare, Your latest remarks, arguing that “no degree is useless,” miss the entire point of Dr. Osei Adutwum’s reformative vision. …
A response to Prof Kwaku Asare’s defence of “useless” degreesJoy Online
… Dr Harrison also took issue with recent comments attributed to former Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, who reportedly suggested that some university programmes, including Development Studies, were unnecessary. …
UTAG backs down on nationwide strike after government assurancesJoy Online
… His comments follow public criticism of former Education Minister and Bosomtwe MP, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, over remarks in which he reportedly described some university programmes as “useless” and “degrees to nowhere”, sparking debate about the value of tertiary education in Ghana. …
University degrees should be judged by skills, not just jobs – Eduwatch to AdutwumJoy Online
… His comments come amid ongoing debate over remarks attributed to former Education Minister and Member of Parliament for Bosomtwe, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, who reportedly described some university programmes as “useless” and “degrees to nowhere.” In a Facebook post responding to the d …
University degrees must equip graduates with skills, not just lead to specific jobs – EduwatchJoy Online
… His comments follow remarks attributed to former Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, who reportedly described Development Studies at the University for Development Studies (UDS) and BA Education (Non-Teaching) at the University of Ghana as “degrees to nowhere.” In a Facebook …
No degree is useless in an economy that works – Kwaku Asare replies AdutwumJoy Online
… Yaw Osei Adutwum, recently sparked a significant debate when he appeared on the Konnected Minds podcast and branded some university programmes in Ghana as “useless.” He described these courses as “university degree to nowhere” programmes that fail to prepare graduates for the job …
Development studies is not a “degree to nowhere”—it’s the blueprint for nation-buildingJoy Online
Former Minister of Education Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has called for a comprehensive review of some university programmes in Ghana, arguing that many graduates are leaving tertiary institutions without the skills and qualifications required by the labour market. …
‘Degree to nowhere’: Dr Adutwum questions relevance of some university programmesDr Yaw Osei Adutwum has called for compulsory child protection training for all school staff at the beginning of each academic year to help prevent sexual abuse in schools. He said the training should include signed acknowledgment of receipt and understanding of professional conduct, enabling staff to recognize warning signs and know their reporting obligations.
27 October 2026 · Joy Online →
Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has called for compulsory child protection training for all school staff at the beginning of each academic year to help prevent sexual abuse in schools. He said the training should include signed acknowledgment of receipt and understanding of professional conduct, enabling staff to recognize warning signs and know their reporting obligations.
27 October 2026 · Joy Online →
Former Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has called for mandatory fingerprint background checks and establishment of a sex offenders register to screen teachers and education workers before employment in schools. He argued that the current teacher licensing process does not adequately check for criminal records, allowing individuals with offences to move between schools.
27 October 2026 · Joy Online →
Former Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has proposed mandatory reporting laws requiring teachers, medical professionals and other relevant professionals to report suspected child sexual abuse, with criminal sanctions for those who fail to do so. He argues reporting should be a legal duty rather than personal discretion, and suggests strengthening regulatory frameworks including possible amendments to the National Teaching Council Act to empower it to withdraw teaching licences of those who fail to report.
27 October 2026 · Joy Online →
The spokesperson for former Education Minister Yaw Osei Adutwum has questioned the reported GH¢27 million expenditure on chartered flights during an evacuation exercise overseen by Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, claiming based on his calculation that three batches of flights carrying 956 people from Pretoria to Accra should have cost about GH¢13.5 million and demanding documentation to justify the costs.
19 October 2026 · Joy Online →
Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum's spokesperson has called on the Ghana Education Service Director-General to explain why the headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School was interdicted only after ministerial intervention despite the GES Code of Conduct allowing for such action, questioning the delay that lasted more than nine weeks.
18 October 2026 · Joy Online →
A spokesperson for former Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has challenged claims that the Ghana Education Service relies heavily on manual processes, stating that digital platforms were introduced years ago and should be restored and improved rather than replaced with new systems. The response follows comments by the current Education Minister about manual data entry within GES, and references platforms including GES Recruitment and Promotions, Smart Workplace, and the Ghana Education Service Management Information System (GESMIS) introduced starting in 2017.
5 October 2026 · Joy Online →
Osei Adutwum Senior High School has been handed a borehole by SOTA International's Divine Intervention Borehole project, commissioned by the American NGO's founder Dr. Kelli Ducloux. The project aims to construct 50 wells across Africa and is expected to improve sanitation and hygiene for the school's 644 female students.
29 September 2026 · The Chronicle →
Yaw Opoku Mensah, spokesperson for former Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, has urged the Christian Council of Ghana and the National House of Chiefs to speak out against what he describes as erosion of democratic freedoms and the government's arrest of dissenting voices, arguing that their silence on such issues cannot be interpreted as neutrality.
25 September 2026 · Joy Online →
The spokesperson for former Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has alleged that a disagreement between the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service over admission numbers of about 60,000 students is delaying fund releases to schools and forcing some to operate on credit. According to the statement, previously free items such as uniforms and housedresses are no longer being supplied to students by some schools.
21 September 2026 · Joy Online →
The spokesperson for former Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has criticised the sale of Senior High School prospectus items through Prospectus Ghana Limited at packages costing about GH¢1,700, saying the arrangement defeats the purpose of the Free SHS policy. The National Council of Parents-Teachers Associations has also urged parents not to pay and alleged the company lacks authorisation from the Ghana Education Service.
16 September 2026 · Joy Online →
Adutwum's spokesperson challenges Education Minister Iddrisu's assertion that he inherited the CSSPS, contending that the current application (COLDSIS) was introduced under the Mahama administration in 2025, not inherited, and that the government must therefore own both its successes and failures.
12 September 2026 · Joy Online →
The Education Minister has announced that government plans to recruit an additional 10,000 teachers next year to address staffing shortages in basic and secondary schools. The recruitment is expected to be included in the 2027 Budget alongside plans to expand education infrastructure and allocate between US$250 million and US$300 million through the GETFund formula to upgrade school facilities.
11 September 2026 · Joy Online →
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has questioned what advice he could seek from predecessor Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum on Ghana's education challenges, saying the current administration inherited an education sector facing infrastructure deficits, food shortages under Free SHS, and the burden of the double-track system introduced under Adutwum's tenure.
11 September 2026 · Joy Online →
Former Education Minister Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum has called for continuous teacher retraining to help students distinguish between informal social media language and academic writing, citing the use of social media jargon observed in the 2026 WASSCE examinations. He framed the issue as an opportunity for professional development rather than a crisis, advocating for stronger classroom supervision, academic counselling, and professional learning communities where teachers can share experiences and discuss emerging challenges.
10 September 2026 · Daily Guide →
Former Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum clarified that Ghana's double-track system in Senior High Schools was designed to address high demand for places in popular schools rather than a shortage of physical space. He noted that not all schools were placed on the system because many were single-track schools that did not face the same level of demand.
9 September 2026 · Joy Online →
Former Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has proposed reforms allowing secondary school students to resit individual subjects they fail or repeat a class, and to have their academic performance recorded throughout their time in school rather than relying mainly on final examination results. He suggests the system should be linked to West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to provide a clearer picture of student performance over time, similar to university-level resit opportunities.
9 September 2026 · Joy Online →
Former Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has called for increased teacher professional development to address the use of social media language and jargon in students' 2026 WASSCE examination scripts, framing it as an opportunity to strengthen teacher training and academic counselling rather than a crisis.
9 September 2026 · Joy Online →
Former Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum argued that the Computerised School Selection and Placement System should not be blamed for placement challenges; instead, the policies and algorithms behind the system should be reviewed, as the computer only executes the instructions programmed into it.
9 September 2026 · Joy Online →
The Education Ministry's former spokesperson has rejected the Finance Ministry's assertion that 6,300 GES staff were recruited in 2024 without financial clearance, stating that official records show clearance was granted for the recruitment. The Finance Ministry had said Cabinet approval and financial clearance were issued in tranches after recruitment to address salary concerns.
8 September 2026 · Joy Online →
The former Education Minister's spokesperson rejected claims that the withdrawal of Our World Our People from Ghana's primary curriculum was politically motivated, saying instead it was based on a curriculum review that identified duplication and redundancy with Religious and Moral Education.
31 August 2026 · Joy Online →
Yaw Opoku Mensah, spokesperson for former Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, disputed the current Education Minister's spokesperson's claim that no textbooks were developed for Ghana's new curriculum, citing official records showing 4,363,484 core-subject textbooks distributed to Junior High Schools and 9,559,367 to primary schools nationwide.
21 August 2026 · Joy Online →
An opinion piece argues that ordinary Ghanaians who supplied food items under the Free Senior High School Policy in Q4 2024 are waiting for payment, citing a norm that government pays for fourth-quarter services in the first quarter of the following year. The writer calls for President Mahama to ensure justice for these suppliers.
8 August 2026 · Joy Online →
Former Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has urged the government to prioritise investments in Artificial Intelligence, STEM, and robotics education, arguing that such interventions are crucial to Ghana's transformation agenda and economic competitiveness. He noted that KNUST's integration of AI into education, particularly in biomedical sciences, has potential to position Ghana among Africa's most innovative countries.
16 July 2026 · Joy Online →
The author responds to Prof. Kwaku Asare's defence of university degrees, arguing that Dr. Osei Adutwum's critique targets intellectual rigour rather than specific programmes. The writer contends that degrees lacking critical thought and cognitive independence are useless to human development, regardless of employment prospects.
8 July 2026 · Joy Online →
The University Teachers Association of Ghana has suspended its planned July 6 nationwide strike following renewed talks with the government, citing concrete commitments and written assurances to address members' conditions of service. UTAG warned it would reinstate the strike if the government fails to fulfill its commitments.
6 July 2026 · Joy Online →
The Executive Director of Africa Education Watch has defended university education's value, arguing that degree programmes should be evaluated on the skills and competencies they impart to graduates, rather than whether they lead directly to specific jobs. His comments follow criticism of former Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum over remarks describing some university programmes as "useless" and "degrees to nowhere".
6 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Africa Education Watch's executive director argues that university education's relevance should be measured by the practical skills graduates acquire rather than whether a programme leads directly to a specific job, following a debate over whether some university programmes are "useless."
5 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Prof. Kwaku Asare has disputed suggestions that certain university programmes are irrelevant, arguing that Ghana's graduate unemployment is driven primarily by economic weakness rather than academic disciplines. He said that while universities must ensure programmes remain responsive to demand, employment opportunities are largely determined by the strength of the economy and industry's ability to create jobs.
5 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Former Minister of Education Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum recently called certain university programmes in Ghana, including Development Studies at the University for Development Studies, "university degree to nowhere" that fail to prepare graduates for the job market. An opinion piece argues this critique contradicts Adutwum's own emphasis on development and nation-building, and suggests development education expertise could have strengthened his ministry's work.
5 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Former Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has called for a comprehensive review of university programmes in Ghana, arguing that many lack alignment with labour market needs and contribute to graduate unemployment. He criticised programmes such as Development Studies and BA Education (Non-Teaching), contending that universities should base admissions and programme offerings on national labour market assessments rather than simply increasing enrolment.
5 July 2026 · Joy Online →