Bernice Bessey
28 August 2008
The Acting Executive Director of the Council for Technical and Vocation Education and Training (COTVET), Mr. Asamoah Duodu, has stated that without exclusive Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET), Ghana will not attain higher levels of development.
According to him, Ghana had not given much recognition to TVET, as the backbone to the country's industrialization, adding that producing human capital, that would apply the appropriate technology in the industry, required the promotion of TVET, which serves as a roadmap to development.
The Acting Executive Director made these statements during the opening ceremony of a COTVET training workshop, in Accra recently, on occupational standards generation.
Mr. Duodu noted that the development of relevant industries also depended on the promotion of appropriate technology, which required the right technical staff to man these industries.
"The economic development of this country depends on Ghana developing industries to produce what we need, and selling others to earn foreign money to buy what we need from others," he stated.
He emphasized that due to the lack of the necessary equipment, and technical knowledge in the country, for artisans to practice their trade, had led to the collapse of some construction structures in the country.
He noted that as a result of these challenges, big contracts were awarded to foreign companies, without the recognition of local contractors, stressing that developed countries had given prime importance to their TVET, as compared to Ghana.
"These shortcomings or defects in our society can be addressed when we improve upon the quality to TVET delivery in our training institutions, and it is only relevant and appropriate curricula, informed by the needs of industry, that will produce relevant and skillful technicians, and master crafts persons," he stressed.
The Director also complained bitterly about the qualifications and the enrolment in second cycle schools, stressing that it did not favour the technical and vocational students.
Due to these problems, Mr. Doudo noted that enrolment had declined in the technical and vocational schools, adding that with the new educational reforms, the TVET would take into consideration, the four core subjects, namely Social Studies, Mathematics, English Language and Integrated Science, which the students would be tested in.
The Chief Advisor for the Technical and Vocational Education Training, Mr. Kenji Kimura, was of the view that the idea behind the establishment of TVET, was to produce effective and efficient human resource to feed the industries in the country.
However, he noted that the idea was sinking into the water, since the country had not created opportunities for technical and vocation students, adding, "we all want to live in a nice house, wear good clothes and drive nice cars, but nobody wants to work as an artisan."
According to him, "we need to change our wrong perception that TVET is only for low achievers and dropouts of the general education, to the positive vision that the new TVET is for promising young human resources for the next -generation industry, as a national foundation."
The Chief Advisor stated that the concept of Competency-Based Training (CBL), was a practical problem solving approach, in which students applied their knowledge in practice, focused on developing their knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to industry.
He, therefore, urged that for economic development and poverty alleviation, TVET reforms should be identified and offered in schools, and training institutions all over the country, so that learners would acquire the proper competencies needed.
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