Education ministry denies rebranding of basic schools

The Ministry of Education has denied claims that the government has embarked on a process of rebranding basic-level schools with new uniforms and mass school repainting.

The ministry, in a statement, clarified comments made by Minister of Education Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum regarding changes to some uniforms and infrastructure in public basic schools, explaining that the option is exclusive to only newly constructed model schools.

The spokesperson of the ministry, Kwasi Kwarteng, in the statement, emphasised that there is no intention to repaint existing schools nor change the uniform for existing ones.

The minister disclosed during a forum titled ‘The Free SHS Story’ in Accra last week: “We are switching to blue and white. We are painting all the schools to give them an attractive outlook. This is the transformation Ghana deserves and it is coming… We are changing the uniforms of public basic schools in the country. The yellow and brown that you see now, you will see no more. Reformation is coming to a community near you, and you will see it”.

However, Mr. Kwarteng has asserted that the minister’s statement was with specific reference to the selection of brighter and friendly colours for the painting of the newly-constructed 21st-century Model Junior High schools (JHS).

The aim, he said, is to lighten and enhance the appearance and physical outlook of the new schools. It is never a case of repainting existing schools or altering them in any way.

“Contrary to the reports in the media about plans by the Education Ministry to introduce new uniforms for public basic schools, the ministry wishes to clarify that there are no such plans in place. Additionally, there is no intention to repaint existing schools.

“The minister’s statement was with specific reference to the selection of brighter and friendly colours for the painting of the newly-constructed 21st Century Model Junior High schools. The aim is to lighten and enhance the appearance and physical outlook of the new schools. It is never a case of repainting existing schools or altering them in any way,” he clarified.

Even that, he emphasised that the new schools will have the option of choosing new colours for their uniforms and does not imply a wholesale change of uniforms across all public basic schools in the country.

Inconsistency

The statement released by the spokesperson of the Education Ministry is quite inconsistent with the speech delivered by his boss, Dr. Adutwum, the Minister.

For instance, the minister was emphatic about the newly selected colours -White and Blue, and didn’t mince words when he said: “The yellow and brown that you see now, you will see no more”.

Furthermore, some of the acclaimed 21st-century model schools that the spokesperson mentioned, such as the Kwabenya Model Kindergarten School in Kwabenya, Accra were commissioned on 14th February 2023. Why should the government use scarce resources to repaint such a facility when several basic schools in remote areas lack desks?

Meanwhile, some civil society organisations have expressed concerns about the tendency of the blue and white colour to attract dirt easily which might cost the government more in repainting frequently.

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