Koforidua (E/R)– Mrs Gifty Twum Ampofo, Deputy Minister of Education in charge of Technical and Vocational Education and Training, has urged Ghanaians to disabuse their minds that students who pursue technical and vocational programmes are dull learners.
She said the Commission on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) was working to address loopholes in TVET that limit students from pursuing studies to a higher level.
The TVET curriculum is specially designed to equip Ghanaian students with technical and professional skills needed for the country’s socio-economic and industrial development.
In a speech read on her behalf during the 32nd graduation of Liberty Specialist Institute in Koforidua, Mrs Ampofo said elective courses would be introduced to pave the way for students to further their education in tertiary institutions.
The graduation ceremony was on the theme: “Empowering youth employment through quality Technical and Vocational Education and Training.”
She said it was the same misconception people had about polytechnics which were later transformed into technical universities.
For the past years, she said, students from Technical Universities did not have the qualification that permitted them for further education.
This, she said the Ministry of Education had brought together all institutions that offer vocational and technical courses under the umbrella of Ghana Education Service for better regulation.
“Now there is a unified curriculum used for all students at the Technical Universities across the country, and they are equipped with equipment that would enable students to do simulations in the laboratory and at the practical centers,” she said.
Mrs Ampofo said the government was reforming the TVET programme to reposition Ghana to become the hub of TVET for the West African Sub-Region.
Liberty Specialist Institute is a center for Technical and Vocational Training, which provides young people with sustainable skills and knowledge through competency-based training to meet industry demand and also make them self-reliant to spur national development.
The graduation ceremony was held for 48 students who were given certificates for passing through a three-year programme in Cosmetology, E-skills in Information and Communication Technology, Hospitality and Catering Management, and Fashion Design.
At the ceremony, the graduates displayed various products including beads, bags, teddy birds, African wear and pastries that they had made.
Rev Mrs Edna Ametameh, the Proprietor of Liberty Specialist Institute said the Institute was established in 1987 with two students and has since then trained about 3,000 students.
She said the school now has an enrollment of about 150 which she described as a decrease due to the introduction of the Free Senior High and Technical School programme in 2017.
She, therefore, appealed to the government to include private institutions in the country’s free senior high school education policy.
She charged the graduates to be bold and enthusiastic in their field of study and have a good sense of humour.
Mrs Bernice Korkor Gligah, Vice Chairman of Board of Governors of Liberty Specialist Institute, said the theme for the graduation ceremony resonated well with Sustainable Development Goal four (SDG 4).
The SDG4 aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
“I believe what you the graduates have gained here are going to be lifelong, generational, and transformational,” she said.
Ms Francisca Larbi, a graduand, who studied Hospitality and Catering Management, applauded the government’s intention to introduce elective courses in vocational institutes, saying, it would permit students to pursue advanced courses in tertiary institutions.
Source: Ghana News Agency
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