I’ll rather teach and be paid 'big' in China than be a ‘poorly paid’ doctor in Ghana – Graduate

It appears it’s not just the desire for Ghanaians to study outside that’s on the rise but also the charm to stay after school for a job out of their study fields rather than come back to their homeland; Ghana and be paid meagre salaries for their hard work.

Some Ghanaian students studying at various universities in China have revealed to the B&FT, reasons for remaining in the East Asian Country despite having completed courses in various fields in their schools of study.

Daniel Asare, a graduate from a medical school in Hainan – a province in China would prefer staying in China to teach English Language in Sanya, a city in the same province rather than return to be a practicing medical doctor in Ghana because he is paid there for teaching, twice what he would be paid as a doctor here in Ghana.

“I teach Chinese children English as a private work; but trust me, I make double the salary a medical doctor makes in Ghana. So, tell me why I should go back home?

“I make between 10,000 Yuan (GHC7,040) and 15,000 Yuan (GHC10,000) every month through teaching, but how much is a medical doctor’s salary in Ghana? So, I prefer to teach than to practice medicine in Ghana,” he said.

Daniel is not alone, his colleague, Emmanuel Asamoah had almost the same story to tell. His earnings in China doing something he didn’t study for is enough to convince him to stay for as long as he can than return to Ghana where his services will be needed but for which he will be earning ‘peanuts’.

Now that’s just two out of the over 80 Ghanaian students schooling and or working in Hainan province alone.

Beijing, China’s capital’s record of such instances may probably be on a much higher level. Some have lived there for six years after completing their university education and have been able to integrate into Chinese society.

IT specialist; Anthony Kwami, who successfully completed his master’s degree in a university in Beijing and has successfully registered his business in China says the opportunity to make a decent income is higher in Beijing than in Accra.

Despite the challenges, Kwami who has a valid work permit believes doing business in China is much better compared to Ghana.

“China has a population of about 1.4billion, so imagine if you have even 0.01 percent of that population as your customers; you can survive better than doing business in Ghana, where getting a market for your products and services is always difficult.

“China has the market, so no matter what services or product you bring to the market, you will get people to patronise it. Remember, too, that Internet penetration is huge here; so, there is market for IT professionals,” he said.

China is the second-largest economy in the world with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of over 82.7trillion Yuan and boasts of a robust manufacturing sector that is creating jobs for millions of its citizens.

The situation where Graduates studying abroad refuse to return to Ghana after their courses to contribute their quota to the country has been a thing in existence for a long time.

Meanwhile, Minister of State in charge of Tertiary Education, Professor Kwesi Yankah has described as alarming the rate of Ghanaian students exiting the country to study abroad.

This according to him, is because the episode leaves a huge gap within Ghana’s educational system which tends to hinder economic growth.

Currently over 3,111 Ghanaian students have enrolled in more than 630 tertiary institutions across the United States, making Ghana the third-largest sender of students from Africa, after Nigeria.

Although, the country’s Universities attracts some 20,000 students from other African countries annually, Professor Yankah maintains that the ratio is highly imbalanced, and needs addressing.