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Change dependency mindset of university graduates - GJA Prez

 

Mr Ransford Tetteh, President of the Ghana Journalists Association, (GJA) has urged university authorities to help change the mindset of their graduates that always looked to the government for employment.
He observed that in some advanced societies, most jobs perceived for dropouts in Africa were actually being done by university graduates.
 “That is why you can come across shop attendants who engage foreigners in fluent English or taxi drivers who can read the map of cities such as New York, London, Paris or Tokyo,” he explained.
 Mr. Tetteh, who is also the Editor of the Daily Graphic, was speaking at the eighth convocation on the All Nations University College (ANUC) in Koforidua, under the theme: “Harnessing Tertiary Education for Accelerated Development.”
  “It is not my intention to paint a picture of gloom and doom for our youth but the reality is that today we are faced with many challenges,” he stated. “But I am skeptical, not cynical because there is hope if we work very hard.”
 Mr Tetteh observed that at present new trends were emerging on the national landscape, with many university graduates joining the growing list of unemployed and graduates asking themselves where they would be after national service.
 He urged graduates not to look to government institutions for jobs but rather look at opportunities, which lie in the private sector or be self-employed by using their skills to be on their own and employing others with fewer skills.
 He proposed that the authorities in the Region use the ANUC Faculty and students to help turn Koforidua into a model Municipality in anticipation of a metropolitan status in the near future.
 He also appealed to government, parents, teachers and other stakeholders to jointly improve the standards of basic education across the country.
 “The present situation where pupils fail in mass numbers at the basic level has implications for tertiary education,” he said.
 Mr Okletey Terlabi, Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, stated that government was not oblivious of the contributions of private universities.
 He said efforts must, therefore, be made by all stakeholders in education to assist private universities to make giant strides in playing complementary roles in the provision of quality tertiary education.
 Mr Terlabi commended the ANUC for acquitting itself creditably, adding that, “All Nations University with private sector instinct is purposefully developing its products taking account of the emerging local and international markets.”
 The Reverend Dr Samuel Donkor, the President of the ANUC, said the school had invested heavily in modern laboratories to give their students critical training to become “seasoned professionals” relevant for industry.
 He said it was not the responsibility of universities alone to shoulder the responsibility of practical training of their graduates.
Rev. Donkor urged the graduates to live exemplary lives, to be themselves and not be followers but leaders where ever they found themselves.
GNA