A Petition To The Minister Of Education On The Neglect Of Graduates Who Studied Education In The Various Universities In Ghana( UEW. UCC and UDS)

Ministry of Education
Ministries-Accra Ghana
21 February, 2017
Honourable minister, accept our congratulatory message for having been appointed, vetted and confirmed to man this sensitive sector pertinent to nation building and development.

Unemployed Education Graduates Alliance constitutes a body of graduates who hailed from these public universities charged to train teachers for both basic and secondary schools in Ghana and are in our homes unemployed.

Honourable minister , we have been deprived of employment for so long making us wonder if we actually made a mistake for choosing to be trained as well equipped professional teachers to serve mother Ghana.

It is a known fact that our colleagues in the colleges of education are posted every year to teach in basic schools in the country. With this we have no problem but just to appeal for a kind treatment.

It was really shocking when our minds got opened on the fact that students who pursued Diploma in Basic Education by Distance Learning have been given an opportunity to register for postings by Ghana Education Service and Ministry of Education. What an undeserving treatment!

Whereas an opportunity has been given to those who did their studies by distance in some private institutions like Jackson Educational Complex, the Ministry of education and Ghana Education Service has failed us over the years, to make room for us to be recruited. We are therefore not certain whether or not the Ministry of Education and Ghana Education Service want to tell us that graduates from UCC-CoDE and Jackson Educational Complex are more qualified than us university graduates? All that we request of the government of Ghana is to have us recruited through Ghana Education Service.

Honourable Minister, it is very pathetic and even insulting to the teaching profession to realise that, the sector is occupied by teachers who have no teaching background. In the previous administration, teachers were recruited to the senior high schools but they were to handle specific subjects hence a very small number were considered.

As a rule, a graduate who holds Bachelor of Arts Social Studies, Bachelor of Arts Geography. Bachelor of Arts Economics and the likes can never enter the health sector with these certificates for employment as a nurse or a physician yet we have a very good number of graduates with these certificates in education sector working as professional teachers whiles graduates with B. A Social Studies Education,

B. A Geography, B.ED Basic Education, BSc Home Economics Education, B. ED Early Childhood, etc. wander around unemployed. This explains why most children find it difficult to comprehend whatever they are taught in school leading to their abysmal performance in their exams.

One other thing noted is that, it is those of us who hailed directly from the Senior High School into the university who are the victims of this maltreatment. Our colleagues who came to study with us as Post Diploma Students were returned to the classrooms after graduation to our neglect.

One major grievance which pierces our heart more is the multiplicative increase of the loan awaiting us. On campuses, out of hardships and other situations some of us had to resort to the Students' Loan Trust Fund to seek for loans to cushion ourselves. We did that with the intention of securing employment right after our National Service so as to defray it as soon as possible. Contrary to our thoughts we came home only to battle with economic hardships leading to emptiness in our pockets. The interest on the accessed loan also keeps compounding yearly even as we sit homes jobless. We are therefore pleading with your office to redeem us by recruiting us.

Drawing inspiration from the president's speech at the 60th Anniversary Celebration of Okuapeman Senior High school, His Excellency made it clear that, a well-trained, confident and contented teacher is at the heart of his government delivery of quality education. The president also assured us that the views of teachers would be sought on educational policy, innovation and implementation. We believe the president to be a man of his words and are therefore appealing to His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo through your office to have us at his heart and make provision for us in the state budget yet to be read by March 2, 2017.

Honourable, Unemployed Education Graduates Alliance is seeking to hear from you a good news with regards to our petition.

Thank you.
Signed
Asamoah Richard
Secretary
0546076918/0548495837
Wallis Kwadwo Kobea
President
0244941240/0208983237
Mark Donor
P. R. O
0554024274
Cc:
THE MINISTER
MINISTRY OF EMPLOYMENT AND LABOUR RELATION
ACCRA
THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL
GHANA EDUCATION SERVICE
ACCRA