By Benjamin Akoto
Fiapre (B/R), Dec. 12, GNA – Ms. Gifty Twum-Ampofo, a Deputy Minister in-charge of Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) says the Free TVET education is to make the youth of the country globally competitive.
This, she said would put them at par with their colleagues from countries such as China, Malaysia, Singapore and Germany in the areas of technology, technical and vocational skilled work delivery
Ms. Twum-Ampofo was speaking at a durbar to climax the maiden education festival and 5th anniversary celebration of Obrempong Professor Kyem-Amponsah II as the chief of Fiapre in the Sunyani West Municipality of Bono Region.
It was on the theme “Promoting and Sustaining Quality Education, the Legacy of a Progressive Chief”.
She said some Ghanaians were facing challenges in foreign countries because they had no formal education and working skills and therefore had become a burden on those countries of residence.
Ms. Twum-Ampofo said the government through the Ministry of Education was thus introducing measures to ensure that every Ghanaian child had the desire and opportunity to attend school to receive a form of education.
In that regard, she said the government was investing hugely in education, particularly TVET education, stressing there was huge expansion of infrastructure facilities to enhance TVET at the Don Bosco Technical School at Odumase in the Sunyani West Municipality.
Ms. Twum-Ampofo advised parents and guardians to prioritise investments in their children and wards’ education, adding that the students must also be focused and purposeful to study seriously to become assets and not liabilities for their families and the country to justify the efforts of the government and their parents and guardians.
Obrempong Professor Kyem-Amponsah II, the chief of Fiapre stressed the need for the availability of a Library and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Centre at Fiapre because thousands of pupils and students in the town “does not have access to those facilities”.
“After the regular classroom work, the pupil and student need to complement what they have been taught with a visit to the Library to either read or solve problems”, he added.
Obrempong Prof. Kyem-Amponsah II therefore announced a piece of land had been acquired for the construction of a two-storey building library complex to include an ICT Centre, saying some development partners had supplied Desk Top Computers and books to stock the Library.
He said through sensitisation by the chiefs and opinion leaders on the need for every child to attend school for progress, the enrolment figures was increasing annually.
Hence, the chief explained the decision to establish an education endowment fund to use as a wheel for the mobilisation of financial resources to serve as the main source of funding to build the library and the ICT centre in addition to offering financial support to brilliant but needy students in the town.
Mr Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, the Member of Parliament for the Sunyani West Constituency and Minister for Employment and Labour Relations pledged a donation of GHC120,000.00, saying GHC100,000.00 for the endowment fund and GHC20,000.00 to support the anniversary celebration.
GNA