Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu has criticised former Education Minister Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum over the ongoing challenges surrounding the secondary school placement system.

Speaking in an interview with TV3 on September 11, Mr. Iddrisu said he has no obligation to seek advice from the former minister on polices related to education and running the sector.

According to him, while he may consult Dr. Adutwum by virtue of his age and experience, the former minister, given his background in governance, should rather come to him to seek advice.

The comments come after Dr. Adutwum reportedly suggested on national television that the current Education Minister should consult him to help address the difficulties confronting the BECE school placement process.

Mr. Iddrisu, however, said the current administration inherited the placement system from the previous government and is now confronted with a significant mismatch between the number of students seeking placement and available vacancies.

He explained that about 313,000 students are seeking placement, while only 76,614 vacancies are available, making the situation extremely challenging for any minister to resolve.

“When 313,000 students are looking to fill a vacancy of 76,614, tell me what magic any minister can do in this situation?” he asked.

Taking a direct swipe at his predecessor, Mr. Iddrisu posed a simple question:

“If he did it better, why are we here?”

His comments come amid growing concerns over the 2026 school placement exercise, with students and parents facing difficulties securing placements in their preferred schools