Governance scholar and legal academic Professor Stephen Kwaku Asare, popularly known as Kwaku Azar, has criticized remarks by former Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, suggesting that some university degrees have become “useless” due to changing demands in the job market.
Reacting to the comments, Kwaku Azar argued that Ghana’s unemployment crisis is rooted in economic challenges rather than the academic disciplines pursued by graduates. He maintained that branding certain degrees as irrelevant shifts attention away from the country’s inability to create sufficient employment opportunities for its growing number of graduates.
“The real issue is not whether a degree is useful or useless. The issue is whether the economy is creating opportunities for skilled people to apply the knowledge they have acquired,” he stated.
According to him, graduates from fields such as the humanities, social sciences, education, and the arts continue to make valuable contributions to society, despite facing limited employment prospects. He stressed that every academic discipline has a role to play in national development when supported by a thriving economy and effective government policies.
Kwaku Azar further called on policymakers to prioritize economic transformation, industrialization, and private sector growth instead of discouraging students from pursuing particular academic programs.
His comments have added momentum to the national debate sparked by Dr. Adutwum’s remarks, with education experts and student groups expressing mixed reactions. While some agree that universities should review programs to better reflect labor market demands, others insist that unemployment is largely driven by weak economic performance rather than the quality of university degrees.
Several labor analysts have also argued that Ghana needs stronger partnerships between academia and industry, increased investment in entrepreneurship, and policies that encourage innovation and job creation.
The discussion continues to dominate public discourse, with many Ghanaians calling for reforms that improve graduate employability while safeguarding the value and diversity of higher education.
