NewzOne of Ghana’s greatest paradoxes is that we have thousands of graduates every year while employers continue to complain about skills shortages. At the same time, we import skilled labour for sectors where our own universities have been producing graduates for decades. The problem is not simply the number of graduates.
It is how we guide students into courses, how we structure those courses, and how we connect them to the country’s economic needs. Most students entering university know very little about the real economic value of the courses they choose. Many select programmes because of prestige, family influence, cut off points or simply because they have gained admission.
Very few make decisions based on where jobs exist, where businesses can be created, or where Ghana faces critical manpower shortages. This is a national planning failure. Ghana needs a comprehensive Courses Marketing and Advocacy System.
Every secondary school student should have access to clear, engaging information explaining what every university course actually does, the industries it serves, employment prospects, entrepreneurial opportunities, expected future demand and its contribution to national development. Scholarship decisions should also be linked to sectors where the country urgently needs skilled professionals. A student choosing Archaeology, Museology, Fisheries, Forestry, Surveying or Statistics should understand not only the academic content but also the economic opportunities these disciplines create.
Many courses are mocked simply because society has never been taught their value. That is not the fault of the courses. It is the failure of our educational system to explain them.
The second reform is even more fundamental. Many university programmes remain unnecessarily broad. Students spend years studying subjects they may never use professionally before specialising late in their academic journey.
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