Cape Coast — The former Vice Chancellor of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), Prof Jophus Anamuah-Mensah, has noted that the negative perception held by the general public, that Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) was for school drop-outs, was undermining the development of the nation.

According to him, the negative perception discouraged people from sending their wards to TVET institutions, to enable them help in the development of the nation.

He added that as a result of that, the nation was producing knowledgeable individuals, but they lacked the basic skills to contribute their quota to building the nation.

Prof. Anamuah-Mensah made this revelation last Saturday, during the speech and prizegiving and open day celebrations of the Cape Coast Technical Institute (Cape-Tech), in Cape Coast.

He noted that technology was bringing immense changes in developed and developing countries, and called for the need for government to empower TVET institutions, for the country to get the needed transformation.

He has therefore called for the establishment of guidance and counselling units at all TVET institutions, to assist students make the right career choices.

Prof. Anamuah-Mensah emphasised that the TVET had not received the needed recognition, since the nation attained independence in 1957, indicating that there was the need to resource training institutions to provide quality education to train human resources for the country.

He appealed to the government to expand the existing teacher training institutions, and establish new ones, to ensure an adequate supply of technical teachers.

He, again, appealed to the government to institute better conditions of service for TVET teachers, to attract more teachers into the sector.

The Special Assistant to the Central Regional Minister, Mr. Ken Nunoo, stressed on the need for the public to discard the idea that TVET was for drop-outs or less endowed students, saying the notion was doing a great injustice to the nation's development.

He advised the students to eschew negative acts such as occultism, pre-marital sex and drugs among others, and not allow themselves to be used by politicians for violent acts during the elections.

The Principal of the school, Mr. Ernest H. K. Lyall, noted that although there had been an improvement in discipline, it had not reflected on academic work, and that the institute would soon introduce part-time and short courses for workers.

He appealed to the Central Regional Minister, Nana Ato Arthur, to assist the school complete its cafeteria and library projects.

The Head Prefect of the school, Master Sulley Wigley Alhassan, appealed to the government to establish dormitories for students, especially the male students, so as to address the accommodation problems facing the school.

Cape-Tech, formerly known as Cape Coast Polytechnic, was established in 1955 to educate the youth in Cape Coast in employable skills.

The school is currently embarking on several programmes to make it the finest technical school in the country.