Executive Director of the Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch), Kofi Asare, has defended the value of university education, stressing that degree programmes should be assessed by the skills they develop rather than being judged solely on immediate job outcomes.
His comments follow public backlash against former Education Minister and MP for Bosomtwe, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, over remarks in which he reportedly described some university programmes as “useless” and “degrees to nowhere”.
In a Facebook post, Mr Asare argued that while not every university degree must lead directly to a specific job, all programmes should equip students with competencies to succeed in employment, further studies, or entrepreneurship.
“Not every university degree needs to be directly tied to a specific job, but every degree must build the skills to succeed in work, further study, or entrepreneurship. ‘The wise elephant remembers paths, not just places’ – Larteh Proverb,” he wrote.
In a separate post, he cautioned against personal attacks in public discourse, urging constructive engagement on education policy issues.
“Why can’t one hold a contrary opinion without being insulted? Must disagreement with Adutwum be framed in personal attacks? Did we learn the basics of debate in school at all? ‘A good argument does not need insults to stand’ – Larteh Proverb,” he added.
The debate continues to generate reactions online, with differing perspectives on the relevance, structure and outcomes of university programmes within Ghana’s education system.
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