Restructure educational system - Prof Nsiah-Gyabaah

Professor Kwasi Nsiah-Gyabaah, Vice-President of the Anglican University of Technology (ANGUTECH), has urged the government to restructure the country’s educational system, by promoting skilful and technological training in schools and colleges, to enhance self-employment among the youth.

Prof. Nsiah-Gyabaah gave the advice when he spoke at a seminar organized by the Nkoranza South Municipality branch of the National Service Personnel Association (NASPA) on Tuesday at Nkoranza.

The programme aimed at sensitizing members of the Association on the need to use self-employment as a means of creating jobs to economically empower graduates and prospective graduates from the second cycle and tertiary institutions.

He observed that the unemployment situation was seemingly creating the feelings of despair, frustration and desperation among the youth, noting that some of them even “feel there is no value in education”.

The ANGUTECH Vice-President, therefore, implored the government to seriously consider the unemployment challenges not only to secure the nation’s socio-economic progress, but also make life worth-living for the graduates.

He expressed concern about the increasing number of unemployed youth across the country, announcing that about 68,000 graduates were produced from the public and private universities every year.

Prof. Nsiah-Gyabaah however, expressed regret at “no corresponding jobs for the increasing number of such youth graduates.”

He, therefore, appealed to government to offer the necessary support to the private sector to enhance its capacity to employ more graduates to reduce the nation’s level of unemployment.

Prof. Nsiah-Gyabaah also urged Management of the Universities and Polytechnics to create guidance and counseling units in their institutions, as an avenue of orientation for the students to focus on creating employment for themselves, even before completing their courses of study.

In an address read for her, Madam Stella Amoatemaa, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), hinted that the National Youth Employment Agency (NYEA) Bill, aimed at creating 100,000 jobs in five designed modules had received Presidential assent.

Under the Bill, the Government would create employment opportunities in five sectors of the economy, comprising education, sanitation, community service, health assistants and the youth initiatives, Madam Amoatemaa emphasized.