By Priscilla Oye Ofori
Accra, June 01, GNA – Madam Gifty Twum Ampofo, the Deputy Minister for Education in charge of Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET), has reiterated the need for the populace to appreciate the role of TVET in national development.
She said the perception that TVET was for people who were unintelligent was demoralising learners and said it was time to change the narrative.
Madam Ampofo said this at a round table conference on TVET in Accra organised by the Vocational Training for Females (VTF) Programme, a Christian-based NGO.
She said holistic education was not grammar-based but involved using the heart, head, and hands.
The Deputy Minister said unintelliegnt students could not operate the kind of state-of-the art equipment and industrial machines in the TVET institutions across the country and urged parents to encourage their children to take advantage of TVET programmes for opportunities in the future.
She said the Government had collaborated with the German Government to roll out the Ghana TVET Voucher Project, which enabled master craftsmen and their apprentices to acquire modern skills training at technical institutions.
Madam Ampofo said the three phases of the Project had been completed and over 18,000 craftsmen and apprentices had been trained with over 72 per cent of them being women and that the fourth phase was set to be rolled out.
She appealed to private industries to collaborate “wholeheartedly” with Government and TVET institutions in the training of learners through industrial attachment.
“We are moving towards dual TVET, meaning, learners spending some time in the classroom and sometime in the factories,” the Deputy Minister stated.
Mr Peter Antwi-Boasiako, Deputy Director-General, Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET), who spoke on behalf of the Director General, CTVET, said over GHS 15billion had been invested in retooling the TVET institutions.
He said, therefore, there was no impediment for any child in the country to pursue TVET.
Mr Antwi-Boasiako said TVET “held the world” and was the way to go, so neglecting that investment meant neglecting the country’s development.
Mrs Rose Karikari Anang, Deputy Chairperson, National Labour Commission (NLC), underscored the need for continuous and strengthened advocacy on the importance of TVET to attract the support of private entities.
She said developed countries thrived on TVET and that practitioners earned more than some other professionals.
Ms Linda Agyei, Director, VTF Programme, said TVET was the master key that could among others, alleviate poverty, promote peace and help to achieve sustainable development.
She said for the past 20 years, the VTF had worked assiduously with State institutions, agencies, departments and private sector by introducing interventions and innovations to uplift the image of TVET.
Ms Agyei commended the Government’s commitment and efforts at transforming the TVET sector and making it an attractive option for the youth to reduce unemployment for national development.
“Today, there have been some changes. We are all happy as sector stakeholders of what we are witnessing today, but we believe there is a long way to go,” the Director stated.
Mr Tsonam Akpeloo, Chairperson, Advocacy Committee, VTF, expressed worry about the shortage of some job skills in the county necessitating the importation of expatriates for such jobs.
He called on the citizenry to promote TVET because it was the future, and its opportunities were as big as the problems.
An 11- member VTF Programme Advocacy Committee made up of representatives of several institutions with interest in the development of the youth and concerned with the country’s socioeconomic transformation was outdoored.
The committee is tasked to support the VTF to articulate concerns of the industry, find solutions as well as shape the public’s perception of TVET.
The VTF Programme is a Christian-based NGO established by the Presbyterian Church of Ghana and its partners, Bread for the World/ Protestant Development Services, Germany.
It provides support services to enhance the delivery of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Ghana and skills development.
GNA