Rote Learning, Unprepared Minds, Unemployable Graduates

In recent times, various debates have been sparked based on education in Ghana. It is noteworthy that most of these debates highlight the fact that education in Ghana is currently not the best and needs a serious overhaul or reform. Whilst many remark that the falling standards of education can be attributed to the failure of technocrats to design a comprehensive, forward looking educational policy, some also argue fiercely that the politicians haven't had the will and commitment to thoroughly implement reforms which have been proposed in the past. Some also argue the unresponsiveness to change by policy makers and major stakeholders in Ghana's education.

The height of citizens' disappointment with the educational system in Ghana is the inability of the system to produce graduates which are employable. The blame game was started as usual; blames and counter-blames have been made. Politicians, Educationists, Policy Makers and other major stakeholders have received the flak from the citizenry. The formation of Unemployed Graduates Association of Ghana (UGAG) has deepened Ghanaians' disappointment with the educational system and with government, industry and policy makers for not creating opportunities that can absorb graduates into the active labour force of the country.

Whilst laying blames at the doorsteps of people and institutions we think are culpable of the declining educational standards, there is the need to probe deeper to unearth the underlying reasons for the shambolic educational standards and unavailable employment opportunities. From the very basic level of education, students are encouraged to learn by rote. This continues through secondary education to the tertiary level. It is not uncommon to find students in the various institutions of higher learning memorizing lecture notes and books and reproducing them during examinations. Learning by rote stifles creativity, critical thinking and innovation which are the very essence of higher education. Tertiary education is supposed to mould individuals who can apply ingenuity, understanding and creativity to problems and challenges that they will be faced with and engineer solutions that will make themselves, society and humanity better-off. The most regrettable phenomenon is lecturers and faculty rewarding rote learners and setting exams in the format of “fill ins”. This situation must change; else our future will hang in a balance.

Moreover, students in institutions of higher learning are not prepared to educate themselves and learn for life. The saying that “one's destiny is in one's own hands” means nothing to them. Students spend their time doing things that don't add value to their lives. They are not willing to learn things besides their programmes of study on campus. Busy for nothing can best describe their activities on campus. In the 21st century, networking has become a valuable asset that students can leverage to create opportunities for themselves. What do you see on our tertiary campuses? Most students live solo lives and cherish individualism while on campus. They therefore end up graduating with good degrees, but unprepared mentally and socially. They fail interviews and when frustrated by their chain of failures, they find people to blame and rush to form and join associations to let their voices heard. My admonishing to undergraduates and graduates alike is for them to take control of their lives, prepare themselves mentally and socially, acquire skills such as public speaking skills, human relations skills, networking and negotiation skills and others to enable them fit into the world of work either as employees or entrepreneurs.

Most graduates are roaming the streets of Accra, Kumasi and Takoradi looking for non-existent jobs. My problem with these graduates is that they are not ready to venture into businesses as entrepreneurs. Whilst many of them attribute their inability to take the entrepreneurial path to lack of funds, I believe it is their unpreparedness to engineer solutions to societal problems, lack of courage to try something new and self-doubt. There are many people with funds looking for ideas to invest in. Graduates should think of marketable solutions, appropriately document those solutions and ideas as business plans and look for financiers such as investors, friends & family, venture capitalists, loan advancers, etc. It is only when graduates get the courage to venture into entrepreneurship, that we can see the creation of opportunities for many. Graduates! Wake up from your slumber and take control of your destinies.

In conclusion, whilst politicians, educationists, policy makers and other stakeholders cannot be absolved from the responsibility of falling educational standards, students must also prepare themselves to take charge of their destinies by learning to seek understanding, acquiring multiple skills, being courageous and taking the entrepreneurial path.

Paul Edem Kuenyefu is an Entrepreneur, Development Enthusiast and Motivational Speaker. He is the author of 'TO THE ZENITH', a motivational piece.

Mobile #: +233 246 585357 Email: pedem99[at]gmail[dot] com