The Director-General of the Commission for Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET), Dr. Fred Kyei Asamoah, has disclosed that President Akufo Addo’s vision of making Ghana a world-class TVET hub is gradually taking shape.
This, he attributed to the massive infrastructure projects ongoing and restructuring in the various regions across the country to revamp the TVET sector.
Dr Asamoah made this known during a visit to some selected TVET projects with the Parliamentary Select Committee for Education last week.
The Parliamentary Select Committee for Education is currently touring ongoing TVET projects around the country to assess the progress and report back to the house.
In Accra, the Committee visited a new campus for the Accra Technical University at Mpehuasem (Samsam) which was inaugurated in 2018 and is currently being restocked with new tools and equipment under the Ghana China Project on the Rehabilitation and Upgrading of Equipment in Technical Universities and Institutes.
The Committee also visited the Ashaiman Technical Institute where there is a newly constructed workshop with state-of-the-art tools and equipment under the same project.
Again, the team visited the NVTI headquarters and the Vocational and Technical Institute (VTI) both at East Legon where there is an ongoing construction work which is part of the project for the overall upgrade and modernization of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system in Ghana which commenced in 2019.
Background
It would be recalled that in 2018, whilst speaking at the centenary celebrations of Asuansi Technical Institute, in Asuansi, in the Central Region, President Akufo-Addo said it was the goal of his government to make Ghana a world-class centre for skills development, and a leading country in technical and vocational education training (TVET) delivery in Africa.
He further outlined Government’s strategic policy on Technical and Vocational Education and Training, stating: “We want to emphasize the importance of TVET, and redeem the misconception that technical and vocational education is inferior and patronized only by less endowed students.”
This promise has informed the government ‘resolve to invest over $ 700 million US Dollars since 2017.
According to Dr. Asamoah, the government is upgrading and modernizing all National Vocational Training Institutes (NVTIs) and Opportunity Industrialisation Centres (OIC) nationwide.
“The government is also constructing three foundries and machining centres, work on which is ongoing to enhance effective practical training at the various training centres,”he said.
“Again the government is upgrading 17 Technical and Vocational Institutes across the country and building an office complex to support the unit responsible for TVET examination”, Dr Asamoah stated.
He added that additional infrastructural equipment is being provided at all technical universities to achieve quality delivery at the tertiary level with industry 4.0 standards.
The Chairperson of the Parliamentary Select committee, Mr Kwabena Amankwa Asiamah, said, “the latest machines are being installed and we can see that these machines will help our youth to learn the modern technology and also fit in the modern way of doing things so we can rub shoulders with all other students who are doing technical education in any other country.”
He was upbeat that after the completion of the various construction and installations of equipment across the country, the country’s dream of improving the teaching and learning of TVET would be enhanced drastically.
The team will be visiting the Central, Western, Ashanti and Eastern Region over the next two weeks as part of this project.
Parliamentary delegation
The 20-member Parliamentary Select Committee was led by its Chairperson Mr Kwabena Amankwa Asiamah. The other members are Prince Hamidu Armah (vice-chairman) Peter Kwasi Nortsu-Kotoe (ranking member) Clement Abas Apaak (deputy ranking) Andrew Amoako Asiamah, Vincent Ekow Assafua, Kingsley Nyarko, Augustine Tawiah, Kwasi Ameyaw- Kyeremeh, Joseph Kwame Kumah.
The rest are Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, Bernard Ahiafor, Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe, Christian Corleytey Otuteye, Dakoa Newman, Moses Anim, Queenstar Maame Pokuah Sawyerr, Peter Yaw Kwakye-Ackah and Ayariga Mahama.
The Deputy Minister of Education, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, also an MP, represented the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum during the tour.
GNA