The Minister of Education, has suggested that some public universities in the country, are only ‘duping’ Ghanaian by collecting monies from them and running courses that have no jobs tied to them.
According to Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, thousands are graduating from Ghanaian universities, including Cape Coast University and looking for non-existent jobs.
“If you look at distance learning programmes across the length and breadth of this country, especially championed by the University of Cape Coast, so many students have been enrolled in Diploma in Education. They are being trained for jobs that do not exist,” Dr Adutwum said, speaking on Tuesday (17 January 2023) at the ongoing Annual New Year School at the University of Ghana, Legon.
To correct this, Dr Adutwum, said his ministry is engaging universities to focus on courses that have relevance to the nation, as well as graduates.
“Thousands and thousands are graduating for jobs that do not exist.
“So, we had a conversation with them [the universities]. One favourite course that I always cite is what is called sanitation education, but there is no course in sanitation to be taught. Development education – development education for what? UDS – development studies undergraduate programme, for what job?”
“So, yes, I am fully aware and we are engaging the universities. I think we need to focus on courses that have relevance to that particular student and to the nation.”
He added that there was a Bachelor of Arts in Education course at a university that is supposed to prepare students for a “non-existent teaching job”.
Dr Adutwum, said because of limited guidance and counselling at public universities, many students cannot turn down such courses when they are offered to them.
He argued that Ghana’s unemployment situation can also be linked to universities’ training of graduates for jobs that do not exist in the country.
