NAGRAT member criticizes deputy education minister’s blame on teachers for Ghana’s economic woes

Bright Murphy Ahorlete, a member of the National Association of Graduate Teachers, has strongly criticized Gifty Twum-Ampofo, the Deputy Minister of Education responsible for Technician and Vocational Education Training (TVET), for blaming teachers for Ghana’s economic challenges.

In an interview with GhanaWeb, Ahorlete described the deputy minister’s statement as “nonsensical” because it is the government that is responsible for formulating the country’s economic policies.

“The policymakers would make those policies and bring them to us to implement; so, at the end of it all, what you bring is what we implement. So, you realize that there is honestly a disconnect between the policymakers and policy implementers.

“So, you can’t blame the teacher because we don’t bring out the policies, the policymakers are the politicians, the economists, and the others she wants to exonerate – we, the teachers, are just down there implementing. So, the blame should be at the top, not down.”

Ahorlete emphasized that Ghanaian graduates are not contributing significantly to the country’s economy due to the lack of employment opportunities. He urged the government to focus on creating more opportunities for graduates and to refrain from shifting the blame onto the challenges the country faces.

He also highlighted the importance of involving stakeholders in the education sector when formulating policies, so they can help produce more productive graduates.

Deputy Minister Gifty Twum-Ampofo’s statement focused on the relationship between a country’s gross tertiary enrollment ratio and its economic performance. She expressed concern over Ghana’s low gross tertiary enrollment ratio, which negatively impacts the economy, as reported by starfm.com.gh.

“Research has proven that any country’s gross tertiary enrollment ratio has so much to do with GDP. So for our instructors and lecturers here, once you have this responsibility and you get so much commitment, then we are sure that the gross tertiary enrollment ratio will definitely increase, and when that increases, the GDP of the country will increase.

“And for this simple reason, if the economy is not doing well, it is not the economists, it is not the finance minister, it is the teacher. Let me say that again: if the economy is not doing well, it is not the finance minister, it is not the economist, it is the teacher because the performance of the economy depends on the country’s gross tertiary enrollment ratio,” she stated during the 175th Anniversary of Presbyterian College of Education on July 1, 2023.

Twum-Ampofo further emphasized that countries with a gross tertiary enrollment ratio of 40% and above have a fantastic GDP, while those with lower ratios struggle economically. She urged teachers to make a greater contribution to the country’s economic growth by training the necessary human capital for economic transformation, which she sees as a foundational solution.

SOURCE: Coverghana.com.gh