Learn for life, not for exams
The formation of the Unemployed Graduates Association of Ghana became a topical issue across the country. It received lots of comments from social commentators and as is usually the case, it became an issue of debate between the government and the main opposition party.
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Some people were of the view that the formation was as a result of the frustration graduates experienced in their quest to find jobs, others said the formation cast a bad image on the government while others dismissed it as a political plot orchestrated by the political opponents of the government.
It is true that unemployment has been part of our national fabric since independence and also there is no country in the world that can boast of having a 100 per cent employment rate. But this does not mean that it should be treated by policy makers as a problem which cannot be eradicated.
In dealing with unemployment in Ghana, one area that policy makers really have to look at is the nature of the country’s educational system.
Ghana’s educational system, to a large extent, encourages learning for examination purposes and not for problem solving or finding solutions to problems which affect society.
Students are assessed based on their abilities to pass examinations, which mostly focus on theories with little or virtually no practical components.
In this regard, a student who is weak when it comes to “putting pen on paper” but might perform well in practical works is rather considered a failure.
Students are, therefore, not trained to be critical thinkers who can find practical solutions to problems that affect society but rather they graduate as people with just “book knowledge.”
In the developed countries, much emphasis is placed on the practical aspect of education just like the theoretical aspect. Funds are provided by governments and other private organisations to institutions and scholars to pursue research projects, which ultimately benefit the larger society.
This helps students to be equipped with practical skills and ideas which they can turn into big business plans after school. Some of the well-known business organisations were started by college students who later transformed them into multi-billion dollar empires. Examples are Microsoft, Facebook and Google.
Society is ever ready to reward people who can offer solutions to people’s problems and also help to meet their needs. Those who have taken advantage of this have gone on to become billionaires who have contributed enormously to society.
Our educational system should, therefore, be overhauled completely to encourage students to be critical thinkers and not just “book worms”. It should encourage students to learn for life and not just for examinations.
This will go a long way to encourage graduates to set up their own businesses and not depend solely on the government and society for employment.