Education: Focus on the real issues, not doctrines and hairstyles - Ablakwa

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has called for a national reflection on what he described as the “real crisis” confronting the country’s educational system over more trivial issues.

Speaking at an event on Saturday, November 29, 2025, the minister said the focus should not be on religious doctrines or the hairstyles worn by students, but rather on the kind of graduates the educational system is producing.

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According to him, while these arguments dominate media discussions, the nation is losing sight of deeper and more troubling problems.

“Instead of focusing on how strict religious doctrines are being enforced in our schools, and the weird correlation between short hair and disciplined students, it is time to ponder over the real issues,” he said.

Ablakwa, in underscoring his point, questioned the growing trend of Ghana’s educated graduates engaging in criminal activities that undermine the state.

He also questioned why graduates who are expected to know better, in their quest for gold, pollute river bodies, posing grave risks and an existential threat to the country.

In his view, these are the issues that must be examined and addressed.

“Why is our educational system producing graduates who criminally create thousands of ghosts to fleece the state when real human beings are looking for jobs? Why is our educational system producing graduates who destroy our environment, pollute our river bodies, and create a public health crisis for the rest of us just to advance their greedy, galamsey search for gold? Why is our educational system producing graduates who lack ethical leadership?

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“Why is our educational system producing graduates who commit Ghana to unconscionable transactions? Why is our educational system producing lutocratic graduates who want so much for themselves and don't care about the country they lead and the generations coming after them? To me, with all due respect, these are the weightier matters that is why I agree with Albert Einstein when he proclaimed that 'true religion is real living, living with all one’s soul, with all one's goodness and righteousness,'” he added.

MAG/AE

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