160,000 JSS graduates drop out of school

Kumasi, Oct 5, GNA - The fate of nearly 160,000 junior high school graduates who took part in the recent Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) have been thrown into jeopardy after they failed in the majority of the subjects they wrote to qualify them for placement into senior high school.

Nana Akomea, Minister of Manpower, Youth and Employment who said this in Kumasi on Friday, attributed the students' precarious situation to the poor structuring of the moribund JSS concept that failed to make provision for continuing training programmes for students who failed in the BECE.


"For now we can not guarantee the future of these students as government is yet to commence the apprenticeship training programme made available under the New Education Reforms."


Nana Akomea was speaking was speaking on the topic, "Impact of Technical Education on Our Socio-Economic Development", as part of the Centenary Anniversary Lectures of the Ashanti Regional branch of the Old Boys' Association of the Ghana Secondary Technical School (GSTS). The Minister identified lack of entrepreneurship training courses for students at the secondary and tertiary levels as the major cause for the high unemployment rate among the youth.

The unavailability of such courses, he said, had resulted in a situation where most students could not put into practice what they had learnt at school because they lacked the technical skills and know-how to start their own businesses and looked up to government for non-existent jobs.


Nana Akomea appealed to the authorities of secondary and tertiary institutions to resolve to fashion out entrepreneurial skill training programmes to help students to be self-reliant after graduation. Professor Kwesi Andam, immediate past Vice Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, advised the youth to channel their energies towards profitable ventures for national development.