Dr. K. Y. Amoako, the founder and president of the Africa Centre for Economic Transformation (ACET), has urged the government to make the funding of free technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and senior high school (SHS) programs sustainable.
He argued that the government ought to give girls and others with special needs equal opportunities.
He added that the quality and relevance of the free SHS and TVET programs should also be improved, as should the inclusion of girls in STEM and TVET programs.
Dr. Amoako made this statement in Accra at a technical consultation on education for the creation of the Compact for Ghana's Political and Economic Transformation, a legally enforceable development strategy for the nation.
Objective
The purpose of the gathering is to discuss the problems facing the educational industry and offer solutions.
A pan-African think tank called the Ghana Compact seeks, among other things, to bring all Ghanaians together to discuss the future they see for their nation by the year 2050.
Dr. Amoako emphasized the necessity for excellent basic education that is free, decentralized, inclusive, and available to all who need it, as well as the improvement of teacher preparation programs.
According to him, the youth were the key to the country's future because they made up more than one-third of the population.
But sadly, he added, there are now numerous obstacles for young people, with finding excellent work ranking as the main one.
For instance, barely 35% of the 360,000 SHS graduates expected to continue their education in 2020 will, leaving close to 240,000 looking for work and less than 100,000 finding respectable formal sector positions, the author noted.
economic expansion
Dr. Amoako claimed that generally speaking, the country's economic expansion had not been successful in producing enough jobs, and that as of 2020, only approximately 31% of the labor force was in formal employment, with an unemployment rate of 13%, which was growing to 20% for those between the ages of 15 and 35.
"Women are more disadvantaged because just 19% of them work for a wage or salary, according to the study.
These concerns are expected to intensify if immediate action is not taken, and they are expected to get worse over the next few decades, according to the development economist.
According to him, young people could only land employment if they possessed the kinds of talents that businesses sought.
He said that there is now a fundamental mismatch between the educational system in existence today and the abilities and training needed for the workforce.
"Young Ghanaians are lacking in soft skills, such as critical thinking, leadership, problem-solving, and innovation, in addition to technical skills," he continued.
"The educational sector is likewise dealing with several difficulties.
Despite the fact that the free SHS policy has significantly increased access to secondary and TVET education, the industry still faces a number of challenges, such as how to create sustainable funding, enhance access, improve teaching quality, provide adequate physical and digital infrastructure, and target girls and marginalized groups," he stated.
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