Tertiary Education Must Be Made Free – UGAG Urges!

PRESS RELEASE
Spokesperson: Benard Armah
The Press Coordinator
Tel: 0277-189505
Email: strandedyouth@gmail.com

Unemployed Graduates Association of Ghana (UGAG) is a non-partisan organization which seeks to promote the well-being of all unemployed graduates in Ghana by bringing our predicament to the door-step of the powers that be, and to also ensure that our life and image is given the needed attention. We have a registered membership of over 3,500 across the country. It is our affirmed aim to ensure that all unemployed graduates in Ghana become members so that the plight of the unemployed graduate and all left high and dry youth can be pursued cohesively for the betterment of our dear nation.

“To whom much is given, much is expected”. It is very difficult to comprehend why Leaders and administrators of today have decided to make life very difficult for the Youth of today. Is it not these same people who enjoyed free University Education, One person to one room, yet demonstrated against university authorities for feeding them with only chicken in the dining hall? If students of today were even fed chicken nail once a week, on University campuses, we don’t think they would have complained so much about hardship.

Just few days ago, University of Ghana students, especially those from Commonwealth Hall have protested against what they think are Exorbitant User fees being charged by the University management. UGAG wishes to join these students in this fight, not only because we believe the university is charging so much, but we also believe that after going through all of this and paying sky rocketing fees, they are likely to graduate to join the already half a million youth in the country who are without any meaningful Jobs for themselves.

Why the double yoke? Why must we suffer to educate ourselves when we already know that there are non-existing Jobs. If the current education is not needed by the Job industry, then why make students pay so much for this kind of education. We do not accept the high fees being charged by the University and other tertiary institutions in the country.

Every now and then, we have complained about the rampant nature of social vices in the country. UGAG dares to say that if Education and Job related issues are not resolved by people in authority, then the fight against social vices cannot be fought completely. John F. Kennedy once said, that “if a free society is not safe for the many who are poor, then it cannot be safe for the few who are rich.” We would like to state therefore that if Ghana’s democracy cannot help the many who are unemployed, then it cannot be safe for the few who are employed. Vices such as Robbery and theft have been on the increase in recent times. Government would rather have helped the nation so much if measures were taken to solve unemployment problems than to spend state funds arresting, prosecuting, imprisoning for government to feed. What an economy? Low inflation; hard times for the masses.

We call on the President and his government, University Authorities and all other tertiary institutions, to look with warm heart at the issue of high cost of education.

Long live UGAG, Long Live Ghana.
Signed by:
Benard Armah
Press Coordinator