NAPO Consoles Otumfuo

The Education Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh affectionately called ‘Napo’, has commiserated with the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, over the death of Nana Akwasi Agyeman.

Popularly known as ‘Okumkom, the late Nana Akwasi Agyeman hailed from the Oyoko royal family of Asanteman and he held several top positions in government, especially during the 1980s to 1990s.

Okumkom, who is on record to be the longest serving Chief Executive of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) joined his ancestors in January 2020 after succumbing to illness.

A ceremony held to mark a week after death of the late Asante royal, attracted senior dignitaries to the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi, the seat of the Asantehene, on Monday. Among the mourners was Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh.

Napo, who doubles as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Manhyia South Constituency, was seen bowing in the presence of Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, who sat in state to receive scores of mourners.

The Education Minister, who is also from the Manhyia Palace and knows and respect tradition, had lowered his mourning cloth to his waist level even as he consoled the Asante Monarch.

Otumfuo, who rarely speaks in public, especially when mourning a member of the Asante royal family, was seen having a hearty chat with Napo, who looked very humble as he listened to the great king.

Napo afterwards was seen paying homage to other paramount chiefs in Asanteman that were present at the programme. Some of the mourners were later on seen consoling Napo over the death of Okumkom.

The Ministry of Education, under the leadership Napo has spearheaded and implemented the New Patriotic Party’s flagship achievement since President Akufo-Addo was sworn into government on January 7, 2017; the Free Senior High School policy.

The policy makes it mandatory that every child in Ghana who qualifies for, and is placed in a public Senior High School for his secondary education will have his or her fees and other educational expenses absorbed by the government.

Napo is one of the Akufo-Addo appointees that have suffered the worst forms of trial-by-media persecutions, mostly engineered by political rivals of his party.

Many believe the attacks are aimed at discrediting his achievements in the Free SHS success story. He has however remained focused and has ensured enrolment figures keep increasing each academic year.

“I will be proud to say one day that our school children are meeting the minimum standards in quality education delivery”, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh has said and he has not hidden his quest to support teachers as key stakeholders in the education dream.

He has explained that the various reforms currently ongoing in the educational sector were meant to improve quality teaching and learning in the country.

“Government’s reforms in teacher education form part of a wider scope of reforms at all levels to ensure that our education delivery system meets the needs of a modern 21st century that produces skilled, confident, competitive citizens to power its industrialization,” he added.