The Member of Parliament for Manhyia South and Vice Chairperson of Parliament's Subsidiary Legislation Committee, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, has called for a fundamental shift in Ghana's perception of education, arguing that the country's development challenges are partly rooted in the way educational achievement is viewed and utilised.

Speaking on JoyNews' Newsfile on Saturday, June 13, Mr Awuah said Ghana's educated class must recognise that education should primarily serve as a tool for national development rather than a means of attaining social status and privilege.

According to him, the country will only begin to make meaningful progress when educated citizens embrace the responsibility of using their knowledge and skills to advance national development rather than seeking personal prestige.

"There will be hope for us the moment our educated class come to realise that education is just to let them serve their country better and not to be worshipped; that is our being as a country," he stated during the discussion.

Mr Awuah contrasted Ghana's experience with that of several successful post-colonial nations that deliberately positioned education as a strategic instrument for development.

He argued that many countries that emerged from colonial rule viewed education as a practical means of transforming their economies, improving productivity and uplifting living standards.

In such societies, educational attainment was closely linked to national objectives and economic progress.

"When you look at post-colonial countries, they decided to pursue education as a means or as a tool for development," he observed.

The lawmaker pointed specifically to Singapore, which has often been cited globally as an example of how investment in human capital can drive rapid economic transformation.

Drawing lessons from Singapore's development journey, Mr Awuah noted that education was treated as a vehicle for changing the nation's circumstances rather than as a symbol of social superiority.

"When you study countries like Singapore, education was just a tool to change their circumstance," he said.

The Manhyia South MP expressed concern that Ghana's educational system and societal attitudes have increasingly elevated educational credentials to a status symbol rather than emphasising their practical contribution to national progress.

He argued that instead of serving as a mechanism for solving societal problems and driving innovation, education in Ghana has often become a pathway through which individuals acquire elevated social standing.

According to him, this mindset has contributed to a culture where academic qualifications are sometimes valued more for the prestige they confer than for the developmental impact they can generate.

"Ours, education hasn't been a tool to change our circumstance. Education has just been a way by which people then become lords in this country," he remarked.

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Education should develop nation, not create elites – Baffour Awuah

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