The Member of Parliament (MP) for Asokwa and Deputy Majority Leader, Patricia Appiagye, has asserted that the implementation of the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme by the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government is one reason for the rising unemployment rate in the country.

According to her, implementing the programme has led to the country producing more graduates who are not taking advantage of the many opportunities the government creates for them.

Patricia Appiagye, who made these remarks in an interview on Oyerepa TV on Monday, August 12, 2024, pointed out that the government is implementing many interventions to give the youth skills they can make a livelihood out of, but these youth are only interested in white-collar jobs.

“It is true that unemployment is increasing. It is arising out of Free Senior High School. Because now we are educating more people and most of them are done with school but have no jobs.

“But there are other interventions (which can help them), but they don’t want it. That is what I’m talking about. If we are able to educate people on entrepreneurship [and] how people can start their own jobs, we would not be having these issues,” she said in Twi.

She explained, “There are social interventions [and] agricultural interventions. We are doing skills training for people to be able to have a livelihood. For instance, one can use the space you see at the back for a farm. Cultivating even pepper would make sure you have food to eat every day. So, the problem is that we ignore the low-hanging fruits that can actually help. Everybody wants to go and sit at the office.”

Watch her remarks in the video below: