The education system in Ghana has long been a hot topic of conversation—especially among students and recent graduates. From outdated syllabuses to overcrowded classrooms, from unmotivated lecturers to an overemphasis on theory rather than practical skills—the frustrations are real, and they’re widespread.
But here's the thing: while most of these complaints are valid, constantly echoing them without taking any action can keep us trapped. It shifts the blame externally and makes us believe that our success—or failure—is entirely in someone else’s hands.
This mindset can be dangerous. Because while we wait for the system to get better, life goes on. The world keeps moving. Opportunities still exist for those willing to reach out and grab them.
For the first two years of university, I was right in the middle of that cycle. I spent more time complaining than learning. I was constantly talking about how lecturers weren’t showing up, how the course content was difficult, how uninspiring the entire system felt. At some point, I lost motivation. I was simply moving through the motions without any direction.
But then something happened.
I started meeting people—real people—thriving in the tech industry. Some of them had never set foot in a university. Others had backgrounds in completely unrelated fields. Yet here they were, building products, solving problems, launching startups, and living the kind of life I thought only a top-tier degree could bring.
Naturally, I had to ask: How are these people achieving all this?
The answer came quickly and clearly.
It wasn’t the system. It wasn’t a fancy degree. It wasn’t luck.
It was personal motivation, self-learning, and a deep willingness to figure things out on their own.
These people didn’t sit around waiting for the perfect structure to support their goals. They created their own systems. They turned to the internet, took online courses, joined communities, followed tutorials, failed fast, and learned faster.
And that changed everything for me.
One major mindset shift I had to make was understanding this: the education system isn’t designed to teach you everything you need. At its best, it’s supposed to show you how to learn, not tell you exactly what to think.
The lectures, assignments, group work, and exams aren’t just hoops to jump through—they’re tools that help you develop the discipline, thinking patterns, and frameworks you'll need long after school ends.
Even the so-called “irrelevant” subjects have value. Sometimes they sharpen your problem-solving skills. Sometimes they push you into research. Other times, they simply show you how to deal with difficult things—a skill that’s crucial in any career.
No topic is ever completely useless if you know how to extract lessons from it.
Now, this isn’t to say the system is flawless. Far from it. There are serious, legitimate problems:
But here’s the thing: you don’t get stronger by only pointing at problems.
Complaining becomes a trap. It convinces you that you’re powerless. That your success is on hold until the system changes. And that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Let’s be real. People will always complain. It’s easy. But before you join that chorus, take a moment to do some honest self-questioning:
Many of us don’t realize how much untapped opportunity lies right in front of us.
You could spend all semester complaining about a broken projector in class, or you could spend 15 minutes a day watching high-quality content online that covers the same topic better than any PowerPoint would.
Here’s the mindset shift that changed my entire academic and career journey:
The education system is just a foundation. What you build on top of it is entirely up to you.
Here are some things that helped me (and might help you too):
Platforms like freeCodeCamp, Coursera, edX, Khan Academy, and [YouTube] are goldmines of knowledge. Most of them are free. All of them are accessible.
If you’re studying computer science, business, finance, or even literature, chances are someone’s created a better course than what you’re being taught.
Don’t treat university as your final destination. It’s not meant to make you “ready” for life—it’s meant to give you the tools to prepare yourself. Use it as a launchpad, not a safety net.
Theory is great, but it’s not enough. Start a small project. Contribute to open source. Intern during the holidays. You’ll learn 10x more by doing than by studying alone.
Your environment matters. Find peers who are also hungry to grow. People who are curious, experimenting, building, sharing. Join tech communities, Discord servers, Twitter/X spaces, or local meetups. They’ll challenge and inspire you more than any classroom will.
Yes, Ghana’s education system has issues. There’s no denying that. It needs reform, better policies, better funding, and a serious upgrade in delivery. But while we push for that, we also need to stop putting our growth completely in the system’s hands.
You are not a passive product of the system.
You are an active participant in your own development.
If you’re willing to be curious, to take initiative, and to own your learning journey, the possibilities are endless—whether the system gets better or not.
So instead of just talking about what’s broken, start building what you can with what’s available.
The system may not be perfect.
But you?
You can be unstoppable.