Spio-Garbrah calls for educational reform

Minister of Trade and Industry Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah has called for reforms to the country’s educational curricula to conform to demands in the job market. He observed that graduate unemployment is high because classroom activities from the secondary and tertiary educational level do not match the competitive goal work environment.

The Trade and Industry Minister was addressing the 6th Summer School of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi.

Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah stressed the need for greater collaboration between academia and industry. He expects that Ghanaian students are taught to be more practical in order to fit into the dynamic work environment.

“Our institutions must teach people practical subjects that will make them useful in the reality of work when they come out. “We are battling with high graduate unemployment in the country and this is not because there are no jobs out there, but because there is misfit between what people have learnt in school and what employers are also looking for. We need to develop curriculum that are related to what industries want”.

The Vice-Chancellor of KNUST, Professor Kwasi Obiri-Danso, said the university is focused on engaging industry in research to find solutions to challenges facing the country.

He assured of their readiness to work with industries to help solve social issues facing the country. The four-day event is on the theme “Strengthening the Linkage Amongst Academia, Industry, and Government”. Participants of the Summer School are expected to explore, learn and share good experiences amidst economic and security challenges facing tertiary education. The event is to equip staff of the university with practical insights to sustainably develop the various institutions.

By Ibrahim Abubakar|