Some graduates in the country under the Graduate Initiative Africa have stated that they would embark on hunger strike in protest to what they call job search frustration.
“Tomorrow, we are leaving our various homes to the Ministry of Education… Since they have decided to leave us, and make us go hungry, we are going to be there on a hunger strike indefinite,” an Executive of the Graduate Initiative Africa, Prince Twumasi stated.
According to them, the Education Ministry and the Ghana Education Service (GES) have failed Ghanaian students in their search for jobs.
Giving reasons for the protest march tomorrow on EyewitnessNews an Executive of the Graduate Initiative Africa, Prince Twumasi said government is making them unemployed.
In his explanation, Mr. Twumasi who accused the National Service Secretariat (NSS) of hampering the progress of the group said the Graduate Initiative Africa an NGO, which seeks to bring all unemployed graduates in the country under one umbrella, started an initiative which required that graduate students pay an amount of GhC 10 during their national service period to a pool of fund after which they will be entitled to a loan.
But according to him, “the NSS says they will not allow graduates to make contributions to this fund.”
He revealed that this has thwarted their efforts, adding that it has affected the contributions that were pouring in, which according to him, would enable graduates start something on their own after work.
He therefore pleaded on government to intervene on their behalf and support the initiative, adding that it will help curb the rate of employment in the country.
“We are determined young men and women we are ready to work and this is an initiative we have created on our own… So the issue is that they are trying to make us unemployed,” he added.
Meanwhile, labour analyst Kofi Davor, who described the current situation, as a dependency syndrome, which is affecting the Ghanaian, asked the unemployed graduates not to blame the Ministry of Education for the lack of jobs in the country.
“The problem is not from the Ministry of Education… So playing the blame game and demonstrating is not going to solve the problem,” he added.
