Government has been urged to prioritise Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) as a sure way to accelerate the country’s development.
The National Youth Advocates, a group facilitated by Plan Ghana’s Girls’ Advocacy Alliance, wants government to walk the talk on promises to prioritise technical and vocational education.
“It is extensively accepted that TVET has the great potential of fast-tracking any country’s drive towards development,” the group said in a petition presented to Deputy Education Minister, Barbara Asher Ayisi.
The youth also expressed concern that the number of technical and vocational institutes have declined between 2015 and 2016 from 185 to 164 institutions.
According to them, the number of institutions presently offering TVET programs is inadequate for a country that seeks to promote TVET in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“A study in 2013 confirmed that Greater Accra and Volta Region had four and five TVET institutions as against 54 and 75 senior high school respectively,” Portia Appiah Darquah who led the youth said.
“The implication is that fewer individuals will get access to these limited institutions. In Ghanaian society, where male education is given priority, females are likely to be denied access than men to this limited infrastructure.
"The limited institutions are coupled up with limited and lack of materials to train students, a challenge that we believe is as a result of inadequate budget allocation to this sector,” Ms Appiah Darquah said.
"As young advocates believe it is time that TVET is given much focus. We believe that by so doing, young Ghanaians especially women will be empowered economically to better contribute to the socio-economic development of our country,” she noted.
The youth called for an increment in budgetary allocation to TVET programs and an increase in the number of TVET institutions with modern equipment and qualified personnel across the country.
Ms Appiah Darquah said girl child empowerment has not been prioritised in plans on technical and vocational education and called on government to help reverse the trend.
Citing the Education Sector Performance Report for the year 2016, the youth noted that the percentage of females enrolled in technical and vocational institutions stood at only 25.7%.
The report shows girls’ enrolment into TVET is much lower than that of boys and declines over time.
Project Manager at the Girls Advocacy Alliance of Plan Ghana Anna Nabere said the project is working to reduce child marriage, sexual violence and abuse, and commercial sexual exploitation of girls.
She noted access to technical and vocational education for girls and young women is crucial to help stop such human right abuse.
Deputy Minister for Education Barbara Asher Ayisi assured government is currently reforming the education sector as part of efforts to prioritise TVET education.
The reforms include creating a new directorate to handle that. “We want to revamp technical and vocational institutions in the country to make it world class,” she said.
She says the New Patriotic Party’s manifesto is categorical that they plan to support TVET education with a lot of resources and government is on course to do that.
“The environment must be good, equipment must be available, and trainers must have the necessary skills…. Government is committed to doing all that,” she told the youth. She urged parents and teachers to encourage their children to pursue technical and vocational education.
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