PhD or Dutch Passport?: A Calculated Decision

PHD or Dutch passport? Over the past few weeks, there has been so much talks on this issue which came up on Twitter. Apparently, a cleaner in the Netherlands claims he’s better than PHD holders in Ghana.

Actually, I get the point he’s coming from. For someone who wasn’t even given proper care in a hospital in his hometown, he would surely feel much more accomplished in a country where he’s assured of good health care. I’m a Ghanaian and I love my country, but comparing Ghana to other countries, the difference is more than clear. No one needs to tell you that we are behind in almost everything. Even quality healthcare is a luxury for the average Ghanaian.

Most of the youth in Ghana would actually prefer to leave this country to seek greener pastures in other places in the world. Why? Because they know that the system has been rigged so much so that only the rich can benefit. Trust me when I tell you that there are so many PHD holders across Africa with no job. If a PHD holder doesn’t have a job, how much more degree or Masters holders?

God being so good, I’ve been fortunate to travel to other countries and seen how things are. Last year, I had to visit the Netherlands and getting a visa wasn’t that easy. Everyone knows how difficult it is to acquire a Schengen visa, especially in African countries. Funny enough, the visa isn’t even issued in Ghana , it has to be taken to the Netherlands for approval and be issued there before being brought back to Ghana for delivery.

The visa application process wasn’t that difficult, but the hustle was with acquiring the visa. Not everyone is lucky to get a Schengen visa issued to them but I just new I was going to get it. One month later and my passport was being delivered to me. Actually, I applied for the visa with others. I was lucky to get my visa approved but others didn’t and for what? Just for excluding one document.

Fast forward, I arrived in the Netherlands and knew that the system was working the moment I step foot there. Throughout my stay, I never for once had an issue with anything. No lights out, 24 hours water supply, train and Uber availability . Everything was just on point. Comparing my experience in the Netherlands to my life in Ghana, it’s more than obvious that even if I don’t have a PhD, I would be able to live an okay life there. There are so many opportunities out there in the Netherlands that would be very helpful to me. If I had a Dutch passport, I wouldn’t even struggle when traveling to other counties but I can’t say same for those of us holding Ghanaian passports.

I believe that when it comes to this issue of a phd or a Dutch passport, the decision lies in the hands of the individual. You can have a Dutch passport and not be able to do anything tangible with it and you can also have a PHD and do so much with it. There’s a huge difference between a phd and a passport and I don’t even think this topic is worth being putto for discussion. As for me, from what my eyes have seen, just pass me that passport!😂