University degrees must build skills, not just promise jobs – Eduwatch chief

The Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, Kofi Asare, has weighed into Ghana's growing debate on university relevance, arguing that degree programmes should be judged by the practical skills they impart rather than whether they lead directly to specific jobs.

His intervention follows controversial remarks attributed to former Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, who reportedly dismissed some university programmes as "useless" and "degrees to nowhere." Mr Asare countered that whilst not every academic programme trains students for a particular profession, every university degree must equip graduates with competencies for employment, entrepreneurship or further study.

"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," Mr Asare wrote on Facebook, invoking a Larteh proverb: "The wise elephant remembers paths, not just places."

He stressed that national conversations on higher education should focus on how universities prepare students to adapt to evolving labour market demands, rather than narrow job placement metrics.

Mr Asare also called for civility in education policy debates, criticising personal attacks on those with differing views. "A good argument does not need insults to stand," he wrote, urging stakeholders to base disagreements on evidence and ideas rather than insults.

The discussion reflects broader concerns about graduate employability, programme relevance and the alignment of Ghana's tertiary sector with economic opportunities.