Gov’t committed to TVET – Akufo-Addo assures

President Akufo-Addo has assured stakeholders in the teaching sector that government is committed to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Ghana, Speaking on the theme of the of the celebration, “Consolidating the Gains of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Ghana; HTU @ 50”, the President noted that those countries, like Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea, with whom Ghana started the independence journey, have outstripped her by far, in terms of development.

He noted that these countries made the fundamental decision to transform their economies from raw material, low productivity, agrarian economies, to value-added, industrial economies, adding that it is the same transformation that Ghana must engineer.

“This is the reason why my Government has placed importance on guaranteeing access to a minimum of senior high school education for all children and has laid emphasis, in particular, on Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) as a major pillar for development,” he said.

Government’s strategy, he said, is to expand technical and vocational opportunities at both secondary and tertiary levels, and, thereby, strengthen the linkages between education and industry, as well as empower young people to deploy their skills, to employ themselves and others.

To this end, government has aligned and brought all public TVET institutions in the country under the direct supervision of the Ministry of Education.

He believes this will enable the Ministry to streamline their curricula and improve the coordination of their training, with the Deputy Minister for Education, Barbara Asher Ayisi, specifically responsible for technical and vocational education.

“The 5-year Strategic Plan for TVET, approved by Cabinet, has set out certain structural reforms, such as setting up a TVET Service and TVET Council, and dedicating a whole division of the education service to the management of technical and vocational education, with its own Director General,” he added.

The President noted, in added, that government is committed to constructing 20 modern TVET institutions across the country, as well as upgrading some 35 existing ones.

“Government is fully aware of the infrastructural needs of our Technical Universities. Efforts have been made at supplying demonstration laboratories for engineering students in some of the Technical Universities, including Ho Technical University, by Amatrol. The Ministry of Education is taking steps to providing similar laboratories to the rest of the Technical Universities,” he said.

President Akufo-Addo assured the University, and, indeed, all other Colleges of Education and Universities in the country, of Government’s commitment towards the implementation of policies that will enhance the capacity of graduates from the country’s tertiary institutions to contribute to Ghana’s socio-economic transformation.