‘Useless Degrees’? Prof. Kwaku Azar Pushes Back, Calls Adutwum’s Remarks Misleading
Legal scholar and governance expert Prof. Kwaku Asare (Kwaku Azar) has taken issue with former Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum over remarks describing certain university programmes as “useless” and “degrees to nowhere,” calling the comments unfortunate, inaccurate and overly simplistic.
In a Facebook post, Prof. Asare criticised Dr Adutwum’s reported description of Development Studies at UDS and the BA Education (Non‑Teaching) programme at the University of Ghana as courses that do not adequately prepare graduates for the job market. The former minister made the comments on the Konnected Minds Podcast, sparking widespread debate online.
Prof. Asare argued that while universities must be accountable for graduate outcomes, no academic discipline should be dismissed as useless. He stressed that university programmes are not solely designed to lead directly to specific jobs but to build transferable competencies such as critical thinking, research, communication, policy analysis, project management and problem‑solving.
He noted that Development Studies graduates work across government, NGOs, international organisations, development finance, consulting and research, while BA Education (Non‑Teaching) graduates contribute to educational policy, curriculum development, administration, assessment, educational technology, human resource development and public service.
According to him, the real challenge is ensuring universities equip students with skills aligned with evolving labour‑market demands, not attacking the legitimacy of entire disciplines.
Prof. Asare called for stronger accountability in tertiary education, including publication of graduate employment data, regular curriculum reviews, labour‑market forecasting and greater emphasis on digital, analytical and entrepreneurial skills across programmes.
He also cautioned against blaming universities alone for unemployment, noting that broader economic conditions significantly shape job creation.
“A weak economy can produce unemployed engineers, lawyers, accountants, doctors, and computer scientists just as easily as unemployed humanities graduates,” he argued.
Prof. Asare concluded that improving graduate outcomes requires both education reform and economic transformation, adding that political systems must be strengthened to deliver meaningful development rather than becoming “machines of patronage, profiteering, polarization, and propaganda.”