Dear Chris-Vincent,
I have taken time to read your recent article titled ‘The Work Culture of Ghanaian Students | Why Don’t Most Ghanaian University Students Work?’ and I’ve gone through the interesting but disagreeing comments as well…
Even though you make some great points and delve well into the subject of the non-existing ‘Work Culture’ among Ghanaian students, you failed to look at an obvious but shameful truth about the lifestyle of Ghanaian students, affecting their decisions to work or not to work.
I completed University of Ghana about 4 years ago and worked part time at a family friend’s pharmacy, especially weekends and contrary to arguments of time table issues made by certain people who commented, I did well with punctuality and turned up to work all the time as agreed. There were certain days I couldn’t make it but that had nothing to do with my studies or time table, I just had some other businesses to attend to…
So I am a living testimony of the fact that students who really want to work in Ghana can do so and despite the fact that jobs are difficulty to come by, with a vigorous push, you can find a place to work.
Another thing you and the other readers need to take note is the issue of remuneration. The pay for most jobs in Ghana are not good and therefore students are not attracted to working, measuring the time to be spent with the money to be earned. But of course as you rightly mentioned, working culture is not solely about the money, it is about developing other ethics needed for the bigger world.
READ ALSO: The Work Culture of Ghanaian Students | Why Don’t Most Ghanaian University Students Work?
When I used to work as a student, majority of my female colleagues and a greater number of female students I knew did not find work attractive because their off campus lifestyle paid far better than any part time job will pay them.
I know for sure this is not a unique phenomenon at University of Ghana but also at the various Universities across the country. Young female students pride themselves with what we call ‘Sugar Daddies’ who cater for most of their needs and these ‘Sugar Daddies’ ranges from Politicians to Doctors and from Businessmen to Investors. These men mostly with wives at home have the weekends of greater number of the female students fully booked, well in advance.