Residents of Busunu community in the West Gonja Municipality are raising concerns about the exorbitant costs associated with apprenticeship graduations, commonly known as “passing out” ceremonies, for dressmaking and hairdressing trainees.
According to community members, apprentices, many of whom come from impoverished backgrounds are being required to spend between GHC 10,000 and nearly GHC 20,000 on their graduation ceremonies. This financial burden has created serious social problems in the community.
The high costs have reportedly pushed some young female apprentices to seek financial support from multiple men, leading to unwanted pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
Community members note the irony that many of these girls initially dropped out of school due to poverty, only to find that the vocational training meant to offer them an affordable alternative has become financially prohibitive.
Mr. John B. Mark, a young resident of Busunu, has called for urgent intervention from local authorities. He specifically appealed to the Municipal Chief Executive for West Gonja Municipality, Hon. Yakubu Yussif Castro, and all Assembly Members to address the issue in their general Assembly meetings and introduce regulations to control graduation costs.
“The situation is worse in Busunu, which is a big worry to the youth,” Mr. Mark stated, adding that families of these apprentices find it difficult to establish shops and furnishing them with trade kits for these graduates”.
Some young men have lost their girlfriends to others who could afford to sponsor the expensive passing out ceremonies.
The community is now calling on stakeholders to take swift action to make apprenticeship training accessible and affordable for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
