Graduate_Unemployment_in_Ghana

Graduate unemployment is a big issue in Ghana and has been debated by heads of universities, business leaders and young people across sectors. Graduate unemployment is unemployment among degree holders. More and more young people are facing difficulties entering and remaining on the labour market and this has been compounded by the additional burden of large numbers of them engaging in precarious work in the informal economy. Youth unemployment therefore imposes heavy cost on our economy. Long unemployment spells among our young people can also be a source of social instability, especially if these young people are educated. Therefore the high unemployment among our graduates must be considered a national security issue. Questions have been raised on the relevance of university curricula yet there has been very little or no strategic change in the methods of teaching and the contents of university curricula. In most of the tertiary schools, education is lecturer centered. Education that brings transformation is one that puts the student at the center of education through exploratory learning and the training on market relevant skills and competences . It is a common thing to find in many universities in Ghana when lecturers come and pour information on the students ignoring the benefits of interactive learning and teaching methodologies that build the students' sense of analysis and critical thinking. There are vital characteristics that are missing in graduates because all society and families expect from them is the grade A's and distinctions. It is okay for a student to make excellent grades on paper yet he cannot solve the real problems in the real world. That is how Ghana's university system operates . In the real world of work, writing excellent application letters for employment does not matter as much as a proof of competence that can be seen and felt in the way one thinks and the manner one communicates ideas and solutions. Unfortunately, the educational system hardly allows students to be critical in their thinking because they are taught to always obey the teacher and obey authority even if the teachers and authorities are wrong.