A father has sent an extremely interesting message to his beloved daughter after graduating from a popular tertiary institution in Ghana. This is a message many typical African parents will not send to their wards in moments like this. Lots of African parents choose sugarcoated words over reality.
Few days ago, some students from the Fosu Teacher training college in the central region of Ghana graduated and officially ushered into the already chocked job market. One brilliant student after the graduation sent a message to his father who is believed to live overseas — informing him that she has finally completed school with flying colors.
After congratulating her for accumulating best grades from all the many sub courses she took, the father therefore properly introduced her daughter into the real world, told her about the realities of life she is yet to face — the fact that, most of the things she read in her four year journey through all levels of education will not necessarily guarantee her success.
The man in the message to her daughter brought her mind to it that, after successfully going through such a hectic process, she is now going to face real life so the ball is now in her court to discover herself and do what she have to do to be significant in society.
Every Year across the globe, students graduate from the tertiary level of education with high hopes of getting White Collar jobs but unfortunately, many ends up getting extremely frustrated as unemployment crush them F. Even those who are fortunate to get employment, majority of them struggles to practice what they were thought in school.
The Education think-tank, Africa Education Watch has asserted that out of about 110,000 students who graduate from Ghanaian tertiary institutions annually, only 10% secure jobs after their National Service.
In developing nations like Ghana, unemployment has a variety of factors. The primary cause is a lack of required skills. The focus of Ghana’s educational system is primarily to lower the illiteracy rate. It places more of an emphasis on theory than on teaching the pertinent professional and practical skills required on the labor market.
One of the major causes of unemployment in Ghana is the “white collar job” mentality. Graduates thinks finding employment in reputable businesses in the formal sector guarantees success. Because of this, there is intense competition for the few vacancies in businesses.
Additionally, the nation lacks facilities for vocational assistance and training. Vocational schools are particularly beneficial because they teach young people how to create their own jobs rather than just looking for them. Employers like caterers, mechanics, electricians, plumbers, masons, and potters can be easily produced by vocational institutions. By offering these abilities, more entrepreneurs will be produced, which will ease the intense competition in the formal sector.
