Former Education minister names 2 courses he considers 'unnecessary' to study at the University

Josephine Amuzu 15:50 - 04 July 2026

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Former Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum

Former Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum says some university courses in Ghana are "degree to nowhere" programmes that leave graduates unemployed, urging universities and GTEC to align academic programmes with the country's labour market needs.

Former Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has criticised some academic programmes offered by Ghanaian universities, arguing that they fail to equip students with employable skills and contribute to the country's growing graduate unemployment.

Speaking on the Konnected Minds podcast, Dr Adutwum said several tertiary institutions continue to admit students into programmes that have little relevance to the labour market, instead of designing courses around the country's workforce demands.

He stressed that universities should base admissions and programme offerings on regular labour market assessments to ensure graduates possess skills that are in demand.

You have done labour needs assessment of your country. You know that the country needs more engineers, they need more medical, they need more nurses, he said. If you don't have a labour needs assessment that you are following, then what it means is that you are just educating everyone.

The former minister pointed to programmes such as Development Studies at the University for Development Studies (UDS) and BA in Education Non-Teaching at the University of Ghana as examples of courses he believes do not adequately prepare students for employment.

Recalling his time in office, Dr Adutwum said he publicly questioned the relevance of Development Studies during a speech at the New Year School.

When I was the minister, I challenged universities about that. I remember going to the New Year School and I spoke about we do not need anybody to offer courses called Development Studies to study development. No, and It was being offered at UDS, he said.

According to him, the Vice-Chancellor of UDS contacted him the following day to say one student had withdrawn from the programme after hearing his remarks.

I said it's good for him, it's good for him, it's good for him, because you know and I know that that course is not taking the student anywhere, he said.

He also questioned the value of Development Education programmes, arguing that graduates are left without clear career opportunities because the qualification does not prepare them for teaching or other identifiable professions.

They have courses called Development Education. It doesn't qualify the student to teach, and I don't know what industry, what company is going to employ students who have done Development Education.

Dr Adutwum further criticised the University of Ghana's BA in Education Non-Teaching programme, saying many graduates complete their national service only to struggle to secure permanent employment.

They come and do their national service, and after national service, they are frustrated because nobody is hiring them. So university degree to nowhere, he said.

He accused some universities of maintaining such programmes primarily to increase enrolment and generate revenue through tuition fees rather than responding to the country's development priorities.

They are just filling up the spaces because they are coming and they are paying money to come, and the universities like it, he said.

Dr Adutwum called on the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission to ensure university programmes are aligned with Ghana's labour market needs.

He said countries such as India had demonstrated how education tailored to industry demands could create employment opportunities both locally and internationally.

He maintained that graduates with relevant technical and professional skills could find work in institutions such as the police, military and private sector, while also serving international employers remotely from Ghana.

The former minister said addressing graduate unemployment requires a comprehensive review of the country's education system so that university programmes produce graduates with skills that match available jobs and future economic needs, rather than qualifications with limited employment prospects.

There are some university courses that are useless...

They just want to fill up the spaces!

Ex-Education Minister - Hon Yaw Adutwum on Konnected Mindshttps://t.co/rxxgX6ImUP pic.twitter.com/KnoIERVzuH
— Konnected Minds Podcast (@KonnectedMinds) July 4, 2026

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