The Coalition of Unemployed Graduates with Disabilities has given the government a one-week ultimatum to employ its qualified members who were unsuccessful in the recent Ghana Education Service (GES) recruitment exercise.

They warn that they will embark on an indefinite peaceful occupation of the Jubilee House, the Ministry of Finance, and the GES headquarters if their demands are not met.

In a statement to be released on Monday, August 3, the coalition accused the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service of disregarding the government's stated commitment to reserve at least five per cent of public sector jobs for persons with disabilities.

According to the group, it had submitted a verified list of 200 qualified graduates with disabilities holding diplomas and degrees in education and humanities for consideration during the GES recruitment exercise, which saw about 7,000 teachers employed.

The coalition, however, claimed that none of the applicants on its list was offered employment despite assurances from education authorities that the five per cent quota for persons with disabilities would be implemented.

"We suspended our earlier protests in good faith after government officials assured us that unemployed graduates with disabilities would be systematically absorbed into the public workforce. Instead, we have been systematically deceived," the group said in a statement signed by its Convener, Gilbert Boateng Agyare.

The coalition argued that if the five per cent quota had been applied to the recruitment of approximately 7,000 teachers, at least 350 positions should have gone to qualified persons with disabilities.

"Assigning zero slots to our qualified members is a calculated act of systemic discrimination and institutional neglect," the statement alleged.

The group also expressed disappointment with Parliament, accusing both the Majority and Minority caucuses, as well as the Speaker's Office, of failing to act on petitions it had submitted regarding unemployment among graduates with disabilities.

According to the coalition, Parliament had failed to exercise its oversight responsibility by ensuring compliance with laws and policies intended to promote employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.

The coalition further argued that the alleged exclusion violates both domestic and international commitments, including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the Sustainable Development Goals, International Labour Organization standards, and Ghana's Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715).

The group also referenced President John Dramani Mahama's pledge during the launch of the Free Tertiary Education for Persons with Disabilities policy, where he announced plans to implement a five per cent employment quota for persons with disabilities across public and private sector recruitment.

Describing the government's actions as inconsistent with that commitment, the coalition said qualified graduates with disabilities had remained unemployed for years despite acquiring tertiary education.

"We are not asking for charity; we are demanding our right to work. We have been educated for the shelf for too long," the statement said.

Beyond demanding immediate appointments for its members into the Ghana Education Service, the coalition called on President Mahama to dismiss the Minister for Education and the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service for what it described as their failure to implement the President's directive on the employment quota.

It also urged the President to direct the Minister for Finance to grant financial clearance for the recruitment of qualified graduates with disabilities into other public institutions, including the Local Government Service, Civil Service and the Ghana Revenue Authority.

The coalition warned that unless it receives official written commitments addressing its demands within one week, members from all 16 regions will converge in Accra to begin what it described as an indefinite peaceful occupation of the Jubilee House, the Ministry of Finance and the Ghana Education Service headquarters.

The group further appealed to media organisations to continue highlighting what it called the systemic neglect and discrimination faced by graduates with disabilities and to provide platforms for the coalition to advocate for their concerns.

As of the time of filing this report, the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service had not publicly responded to the coalition's claims.