The Minister of Education, Dr Matthew Opoku-Prempeh, has
called for a change of mindset on Technical and Vocational Education (TVET) in
the country.
According to him, TVET
remained the game-changer for the country in terms of job creation and must not
be seen as a preserve for the academically weak in society.
“For a person to develop and create a fashionable and
acceptable outfit to be appreciated by consumers requires high level of
ingenuity for which reason we cannot continue to describe student of TVET as academically weak,” he said.
Dr Matthew-Opoku made the call on Tuesday when the President
of World Skills International, Simon Bartley paid a courtesy call on him.
Mr Bartley was in the country to assess the country’s
preparation towards its admission into the organisation and to interact with
Ghana’s delegates to the WSI slated for August in Russia.
World Skills International a is global body made of about 80
countries, with the mission to improve the world with the power of technical
and vocational skills.
Ghana would be admitted into the WSI this month, following
the attainment of all the necessary requirements of the organisation, and would
be formally inaugurated at the world WSI congress.
Dr Opoku-Prempeh said the government was working to change
the mindset of Ghanaians about TVET.
This, he said, was through revamping TVET institutions across
the country, coordinating their activities and also certifying their programmes
and issuing them with accreditation.
Dr Opoku-Prempeh said the Council for Technical and
Vocational Education (COTVET) is to oversee and coordinate issues on TVET.
He said Ghana decided to join the WSI so as to benefit from
the expertise of the organisation and its member countries.
“I hope Ghana will receive good news from WSI when the board
of the organisation meet this year,” Dr Opoku-Prempeh said.
Mr Bartley in his remarks said Ghana had satisfied all the
requirements for the country to be admitted into the organisation and the final
step was for the President of WSI to visit the country.
The requirements, he said include the setting up of a
national body, the Council for Technical and Vocational Education (COTVET) to
oversee and coordinate issues on technical education, the acceptance of the
constitutions of the WSI, commitment of the country to promote technical and vocational
education.
He said TVET held the prospect for job creation and
employment for the youth and lauded the government for its efforts to revamp
and improve TVET in the country.
Mr Bartley pledged the WSI’s commitment to support Ghana to
develop TVET in the country.
By Kingsley Asare
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