By Solomon Gumah
Tamale (N/R), June 10, GNA – The Dabokpa Technical Institute has marked its 25th anniversary celebration in Tamale with a call on the government and other stakeholders to invest more resources into Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
The anniversary, held under the theme: “Breaking Barriers, Leading Change: Celebrating 25 Years of Technical Advancement”, afforded Management, students and stakeholders the opportunity to reflect on the journey thus far and the need to strategise on providing quality TVET services in the country.
Madam Mariama Mahama, Principal of Dobokpa Technical Institute, in an address at the school’s compound in Tamale, said the Institute since it became a fully-fledged technical institution in 1998, had built a reputation for excellence in vocational and technical education in the country.
She said it had chalked a lot of successes, including the manufacturing of a tricycle, and electric bicycle, the construction of a 20-unit biodigester toilet facility, the establishment of a driving school in Tamale with a servicing centre serving multiple agencies and the public, as well as the acquisition of 30 industrial sewing machines for fashion design training.
She said the school had also acquired a 50-acre land to facilitate its expansion, constructed an automobile engineering workshop, a fashion workshop and factory, a three-storey block for catering and hospitality management as well as an additional three-storey block for software development laboratories.
The Headmistress said despite the significant achievements of the school, it was still confronted with several challenges that affected effective teaching and learning, including erratic water supply, inadequate workshops, lack of an assembly hall, and inadequate accommodation for students, among other challenges.
She appealed to government, corporate institutions, individuals and NGOs to come to the aid of the school to ensure that effective academic activities were not interrupted.
Professor Gavua Smile Afua Dzisi, former Vice-Chancellor of the Koforidua Technical University, commended Dabokpa Technical Institute for its unwavering commitment and resilience towards enhancing TVET in northern Ghana.
Speaking on the theme for the celebration, she said to break barriers in TVET, it was important to incorporate emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, cyber security, blockchain, biotechnology and other interdisciplinary approaches to maximise the prospects in the sector.
She said: “Our curriculum needs to be as dynamic as the technologies it aims to cover. Traditional static syllabi must give way to modular and flexible learning pathways.”
She underscored the need for the various TVET institutions in the country to prioritise collaborating with the local industry to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and industry requirements.
Professor Dzisi emphasized that technical proficiency alone was not enough to break barriers, and advised the students to adopt creativity, critical thinking, communication and the spirit of teamwork to make a positive impact on the development of the country.
Vice President Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, whose speech was read on his behalf by Alhaji Shani Alhassan Saibu, Northern Regional Minister, said the need to promote TVET as a parallel pathway to success alongside tertiary education could not be overemphasised.
The Vice President donated GHc50,000.00 to support the school in its quest to raise GHc400,000.00 to expand its infrastructure.
GNA