Addressing patrons at the grand durbar of this year’s yam festival by the Chiefs and People of Awudome Traditional Area, the Traditional Leader explained that, although Secondary School Education is equally good, vocational and technical education provides skills that could make the children self-employed after school, without having to bear the brunt of the increasing unemployment in the country.

[contextly_sidebar id=”HKpzQGkuu1YycnLWH2pPdlGjzkjuxFAB”]“Even though the secondary school is also good, I plead that all of you advise your children to accept admissions in Technical and Vocational Educational Institutions which will prepare them for ready jobs after their training. The level of unemployment is high, and so I advise you train them to work on their own” he stated.                               

The Chief’s counsel renews calls by many to promote Vocational and Technical Education in Ghana as a game changer for the country’s development.

Although Technical and Vocational Education (TVE), are to equip students with technical and employable skills that could make them set up their own businesses, the seeming neglect demonstrated towards such educations in Ghana presents a negative picture of the prospects of TVE in Ghana.

This year’s yam festival was held at Awudome-Tsibu on the theme “ Fostering Unity through forgiveness and reconciliation” aimed at promoting unity among the seven communities of Awudome Traditional Area.

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By: King Nobert Akpablie/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The GSTDP, which comprises four components, aims to achieve improved demand-driven skills development, and increased adoption of new technologies in selected economic sectors for industry, training and research institutions involved in the delivery of skills and technology.

The first component is to strengthen government institutional capacity in planning, coordination, quality assurance and service delivery towards improved quality, relevance, accountability and effectiveness in skills development.

Dr Fred Kyei Asamoah, the COTVET Executive Director, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said the first component of the GSTD had been able to develop about 30 manuals which were being utilised by Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions.

He said they had as well developed management information system which covered monitoring and evaluation, quality assurance, and institutional development plan being part of the outcomes of the project.

Dr Kyei Asamoah linked the skills development to government’s one district one factory programme, saying; “The factories could run successfully if there are competent employees who have acquired the requisite skills”.

He said COTVET was working with the Ministry of Trade and Industry to identify the different categories of industries that would be established so that COTVET and its stakeholders would prepare to support them.

He explained that the support would enable the factories to come up with the highest standards of products and services.

Mrs Patricia de Bruijn, the Managing Director of Cadena International, said the 21st-century classroom and workshops covered digital content in a virtual learning environment, harnessing emerging technologies, and Integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) based learning in TVET.

She said the objective was to improve access, relevance and quality of TVET education through the integration of ICT based resources, and the introduction of new technologies combined with practical hands-on education and training.

Speaking on the introduction of smart classrooms for TVET improvement, Mrs de Bruijn said the smart classrooms enhances traditional TVET teaching, teacher performance and delivery, interdisciplinary work, self-paced learning, working on different assignments in small groups and maximising the use of the existing workshops.

The Second Component of the GSTDP project focuses on ‘Institutional Strengthening of Science and Technology Development’; which includes strengthening of planning, management, and coordination of national science, technology and innovation policies and programmes.

The Third Component would highlight ‘Financing of Skills and Technology Development Programmes’ through the Skills Development Fund which had been established with funding from Education Sector Programme, the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) and the Ghana Education Trust Fund.

The Fourth Component would target Project Management and Monitoring and Evaluation, to provide effective implementation of the project by establishing a project support unit to assist COTVET and participating ministries for effective co-ordination, monitoring and evaluation.

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Source: GNA

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Among the many things that are dear to my heart, is the needed investment into technical and vocational education in our country. It is very evident that when it comes to technical and vocational skills development and implementation we are not doing well as a country.

Several literature attests to this fact. One of this was a news item that was reported in the national newspaper the Daily Graphic on January 4, 2017 which was titled ‘Survey records low enrollment in technical and vocational training’.

According to the report following a baseline survey which was conducted in November in some 12 districts, data available at the educational management and information system for 2015, indicated a decline of about 10,000 enrollment in TVET.

Again in the daily graphic of December 22, 2015, there was a news item which stated that Ghana is paying dearly for the neglect of technical and vocational education and training since foreigners take over jobs that require technical skills.

This report was captured in a strategic plan of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

The issue of Technical and vocational education training has been poor patronage, relevance to the job market, and poor quality of content and delivery as well.

The neglect of technical and vocational education in the country contribute to poor workmanship, lack of employment, poor productivity, and foreign artisans taking over our skilled areas of work etc.

Several governments have attempted to solve the canker confronting technical and vocational education.

There have been a number of policies on technical and vocational education, and only God knows when these fine policies will travel beyond their existence in books to proper implementation.

From the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda (GSGDA), 2010-2013 on TVET, a number of similar policies were outlined some of which are;

1.Construction and rehabilitation/upgrading of facilities in all public technical vocational Institutes in each District across the country
2.Repositioning TVET in education and Human Resource Development and strengthening linkages with Industry.
3.Re-organization and expansion of the current national apprenticeship programme, providing opportunities for trainers in Technical and Vocational Institutes to undertake further studies.

Despite the policies above, I would like to propose the following for consideration to improving technical and vocational education in the country.

*Establishment of a national award scheme for artisans and craftsmen and the Provision of scholarships for Technical and Vocational Education Training to encourage patronage by the youth
*Establish technical resource centers at the circuit level to support the practical aspects of Basic Design Technology at the basic level.
*Implement apprenticeship policy for Junior High School dropouts as indicated in the 2006 Education Reform
*Commit 10% of the education budget into Technical and Vocational Education Training.
*Provide full support and backing to COTVET to enable them execute their mandate as stipulated in ACT 718.

As you look at the many areas of interest and concerns to the development of the country, please consider technical education since it will help in a long way.

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By: Samuel Otenadu

(The writer is a construction engineer and a member of Institution of Engineering and Technology, Ghana who is into private practice)

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A post on his Facebook page said: “He will be missed especially during this period in our nation when we need unity of purpose and when we have a desperate need for statesmen and women to stop forward and pull all our efforts in the same direction.”

Dr. Nduom remarked that Ghana has lost one of its long serving public servants.

He recalled that he was not present in the country “when he [PV Obeng] was with the PNDC administration. I knew him post-PNDC and to me, he was a kind, civil and hardworking person.”

PV Obeng died on Saturday of suspected asthma attack.

He was the senior advisor to the President, John Mahama, and the chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC).

By: Efua Idan Osam/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @osamidan

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