Kofi Asare, the Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, has expressed skepticism about Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia’s proposal to make the National Service Scheme optional to solve the issues of unemployment in the country.
Mr Kofi Asare responding to the central problem that Dr. Bawumia’s proposal aims to address, which is the high rate of graduate unemployment in the country, strongly argued that data from the Institute of Statistical, Social, and Economic Research (ISSER), indicate that only 10% of graduates in the country secure employment within a year of graduation.
According to Mr Asare, the alarming statistic underscores the urgent need for comprehensive measures to tackle the challenges faced by recent graduates in securing meaningful employment in the country.
Mr. Asare further highlighted the existence of multiple factors which contribute to graduate unemployment according to the Institute of Statistical, Social, and Economic Research report.
The Executive Director for the education-focused think-thank group recounted that various factors including a low number of job opportunities for new graduates, inexperience, and skills mismatch, among others are the major factors which contribute to graduate unemployment in the country.
He contended that making the National Service Scheme voluntary would not effectively address such issues.
“How Will DMB’s Voluntary National Service Scheme Create Jobs? I spoke to 10 final-year UG students, and 10 staff of NSS on Thursday. Question: If National Service was not compulsory, how many of the 10 students would voluntarily subscribe? Students: 0/10 since it comes with too much inconvenience.
“NSS staff: Even under the compulsory regime, many still find their way out. Imagine it being voluntary. Only 2/10 may subscribe. NSS staff: In addition to patriotism, National service is a form of pre-employment training, especially in a tertiary education system that lacks significant industry participation”
Kofi Asare
Furthermore, the founder and Executive Director of the Africa Education Watch, Kofi Asare asserted in his statement that the proposal would not increase the supply of jobs, which is a fundamental issue in the current employment landscape in the country.
Mr Asare opined that graduates in the country will still face the challenge of a limited number of job opportunities available for them to compete for in the labour market.
The Need For The Maintenance Of Mandatory NSS
Moreover, Kofi Asare pointed out that the voluntary nature of the National Service Scheme if implemented by the Vice President upon his assumption of power will not automatically equip graduates with the work readiness skills needed to make them more competitive in the job market.
Contrary to the New Patriotic Party flagbearer Dr. Bawumia’s proposal, to make the National Service Scheme voluntary, Mr Asare advocated for maintaining the compulsory nature of the scheme.
He stressed the importance of the National Service Scheme in providing graduates with nation-building experiences and crucial pre-employment innovations.
In addition, Mr Asare expressed satisfaction with the current government’s efforts in infusing work readiness initiatives into the National Service Scheme and called for more innovative measures to improve the scheme.
He noted that making the National Service Scheme voluntary could undermine the positive strides made in preparing graduates for the job market and concluded that the compulsory nature of the scheme is in the best interest of the nation’s future, as it contributes not only to individual skill development but also to the broader goal of nation-building.
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