The Coalition of Unemployed Graduates with Disabilities has given the government a one-week ultimatum to recruit qualified persons with disabilities who applied during the recent Ghana Education Service (GES) recruitment exercise, or face an indefinite, peaceful occupation of Jubilee House, the Ministry of Finance, and the GES headquarters.

In a statement signed by its Convener, Gilbert Boateng Agyare, the coalition accused the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service of failing to implement the government's commitment to reserve at least five per cent of public sector jobs for persons with disabilities.

It said despite submitting a verified list of 200 qualified graduates with disabilities for consideration, none of them was recruited.

The group argued that the outcome undermines the government's affirmative action policy, noting that with about 7,000 teachers recruited, at least 350 positions should have been allocated to qualified persons with disabilities under the proposed five per cent quota.

It described the development as "systemic discrimination and institutional neglect" and maintained that many qualified graduates with disabilities have remained unemployed for years despite meeting the requirements for recruitment.

The coalition further criticised Parliament, accusing both the Majority and Minority caucuses, as well as the Speaker's Office, of failing to act on petitions concerning the employment of graduates with disabilities.

It also argued that the failure to recruit persons with disabilities contravenes the Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715), Ghana's obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and the Sustainable Development Goals.

The coalition recalled President John Dramani Mahama's pledge during the launch of the Free Tertiary Education for Persons with Disabilities policy to implement a five per cent employment quota for persons with disabilities across the public sector.

It therefore called on the President to remove the Minister for Education and the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service for allegedly failing to implement the directive, while urging the GES to issue appointment letters to qualified applicants with disabilities and the Ministry of Finance to grant financial clearance for their recruitment into other public institutions.

The group warned that if it does not receive a concrete written response within one week, members from all 16 regions will converge in Accra to begin an indefinite peaceful occupation of Jubilee House, the Ministry of Finance and the GES headquarters until their demands are met.