The Coalition of Unemployed Graduates with Disabilities has given the government a one-week ultimatum to recruit its qualified members who applied for teaching positions during the Ghana Education Service’s (GES) recent recruitment exercise or face an indefinite occupation of the Jubilee House, the Ministry of Finance and the GES headquarters.
In a press statement issued on Monday, August 3, the coalition accused the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service of systematically discriminating against persons with disabilities by failing to implement the government’s 5 per cent employment quota for persons with disabilities in public sector recruitment.
According to the coalition, it suspended an earlier protest in March this year after receiving assurances from government officials that unemployed graduates with disabilities would be considered for recruitment into the public sector.
However, the group said those promises have not been fulfilled, leaving many qualified graduates with disabilities unemployed, with some reportedly waiting for jobs for as long as a decade after completing tertiary education.
The coalition disclosed that during the recent GES recruitment exercise, it submitted a verified list of 200 qualified graduates with disabilities, all of whom hold diplomas and degrees in education and related fields from accredited institutions.
It said despite assurances that the government’s affirmative action policy would be implemented, none of the applicants on the list received appointment letters.
According to the group, approximately 7,000 teachers were recruited by the Ghana Education Service, arguing that if the government’s 5 per cent quota policy had been applied, at least 350 positions should have been reserved for persons with disabilities.
The coalition described the outcome as “systemic discrimination” and accused the government of failing to honour both its legal obligations and campaign commitments.
It also criticised Parliament, saying petitions submitted to the Speaker, the Majority Caucus and the Minority Caucus regarding the unemployment situation of graduates with disabilities had not received the necessary attention.
The group argued that Parliament had failed to exercise its oversight responsibility to ensure compliance with laws protecting the rights of persons with disabilities.
The coalition further maintained that the government’s actions violate both Ghana’s Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715) and international commitments under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and International Labour Organization (ILO) standards promoting inclusive employment.
The group also referenced President John Dramani Mahama’s commitment to implement a 5 per cent employment quota for persons with disabilities across public and private sector recruitment, as announced during the launch of the Free Tertiary Education Policy for Persons with Disabilities.
As part of its demands, the coalition called on President Mahama to remove the Minister for Education and the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, accusing them of failing to implement the President’s directive on the employment quota.
It also urged the Ghana Education Service to immediately issue appointment letters to qualified graduates with disabilities whose names had been submitted during the recruitment process.
Additionally, the coalition appealed to the President to direct the Minister for Finance to grant financial clearance for the recruitment of qualified graduates with disabilities into other public sector institutions, including the Civil Service, Local Government Service and the Ghana Revenue Authority.
The coalition warned that if the government fails to provide an official written response addressing its demands within one week, its members from all 16 regions of the country will converge in Accra to begin an indefinite peaceful occupation of the Jubilee House, the Ministry of Finance and the Ghana Education Service headquarters until their concerns are addressed.
