Deputy Ranking Member on the Education Committee of Parliament, Dr. Clement Abas Apaak, has criticized the Akufo-Addo administration's purported plan to repaint public basic schools in the colours of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Reports had suggested that the government intended to repaint existing public basic schools from brown and yellow to blue and white, sparking concerns over the use of public resources for political purposes.

However, the Ministry of Education clarified that the initiative was solely for newly constructed basic schools and that there were no plans to change the uniforms in all public schools.

In a statement, Dr. Apaak urged the government to prioritize addressing pressing issues facing the education sector, such as the lack of access to furniture for over a million public basic school pupils and delays in the release of capitation grants.

He emphasized that resources should be allocated to tackle challenges such as infrastructural deficits, lack of textbooks, inadequate security, unpaid utility bills, and other issues affecting teaching and learning in public basic schools.

"According to the Head Teacher, basic school administrators are struggling to manage the affairs of schools, because of inadequate funding, neglect and delay in the releases of the capitation grants, etc.

"These are issues Hon. Yaw Adutwum should be worried about, not the colours of school blocks and school uniforms. Spending public time and resources painting schools in Blue and White, and introducing Blue and White uniforms are clearly misplaced priorities.

"Besides the overt attempt to brand public basic schools in NPP colours, the only other reason is to create an avenue to award sole sourced contracts to families, friends, and party members," he wrote in a statement.

Dr. Apaak criticized the government for considering repainting schools and introducing new uniforms when there were more urgent needs to address in the education sector.

He called on Ghanaians to join in resisting what he described as a "needless initiative" and urged the Ministry of Education to prioritize addressing the challenges facing public basic schools.