Ghana suffering from functional illiteracy – Dr. Abudu observes

A former Chief Economist at the Bank of Ghana, Dr. A. O Abudu says most Ghanaians have failed to properly put their skills and knowledge acquired through education to use. Dr. Abudu who was speaking on 3FM’s Sunrise morning show said there is a disconnect between what people learn in school and the implementation of such skills on the job market. “We are having close to about 60 to 70% functional illiteracy, they cannot function. In this digital age that requires a lot of things, they cannot read, they cannot communicate.” According to him, there is the need for Ghana to pay more attention to its educational system to ensure that the country produces graduates that can properly replicate their knowledge on the job market. He noted that countries like Singapore, Japan and most developed countries have succeeded as a result of the premium they place on education and its link with what is required in the world of work. “Our universities and colleges must train people to work, and not to join the unemployment pool. We have an anomaly here, people go to the university, they are trained to get skills…they come out and cannot fit into the job market, there is something wrong there, and it must be corrected,” he said. Dr. Abudu underscored the need for Ghana to do more in terms of education, especially in relation to current trends; he added “we need to make our country literate, especially as we are moving into a digital age.” According to him, certain attitudes as portrayed by some Ghanaians are partially the cause of the failure of the country in many sectors. “We could have done more for Ghana, but the question is I do not think we are doing much for ourselves,” he told host of Sunrise Winston Amoah. “The thing is that, take for example, when you go to a public servant, and you want his service, the way he treats you depends on the credentials he attaches to you, if he sees that you look humble and all that, he is not going to be very good in helping you, he won’t do his best for you, he will do his best for all the people who are high profile and are very important, which I think is not correct.” He said if the average Ghanaian and all  public servants decide to desist from taking bribes and engaging in other corrupt acts, institutions will work better and things will take shape in the country. Dr Abudu also said there is the need for a lot more seriousness to be attached to the way things are done in the country. By Irene Amesimeku| 3news.com| Ghana]]>