TTU deepens inclusive TVET education as 24 persons with disabilities graduate

Takoradi Technical University has achieved the commendable feat of inclusive TVET education in a Ghanaian Technical University with the graduation of 24 disabled individuals at its 23rd Congregation.

Speaking at the congregation, where 6,166 students successfully graduated for the 2022/2023 Academic Year, the Vice-Chancellor of TTU, Rev. Prof. John Frank Eshun, said the graduation of the disabled is in fulfillment of TTU’s determination to bridge the gap between the able and the disabled in the access to higher TVET education.

“A total of twenty-four (24) students with disabilities, comprising twenty (20) hearing-impaired students and four (4) others with physical disabilities, are among the graduates. This brings the total number of deaf students that the University has produced to one hundred and sixty-four (164) since the establishment of the Disability Support and Services Unit in 2017. This number is the largest among all universities in Ghana during this period. This year 2023 commemorates five (5) years since the establishment of the Disability Support and Service Unit for Deaf Education at Takoradi Technical University.”

“The integration of hearing-impaired students into the regular stream is unique to our university but comes with the challenges of instructional transfer, language acquisition, and the appreciation of abstract concepts. Nonetheless, the University remains committed to our agenda of pursuing an inclusive education that reflects the special needs of these exceptional learners at the University,” he added.

He, however, appealed for more funding support to enable the University to sustain its Disability Support unit and enable more disabled individuals to access TVET education at the highest level.

“With the advancement of information technology, the University intends to utilize assistive technology, including hearing aids and special laptops, to assist in the transfer of classroom and workshop instruction to these special students. However, the University requests the corporate world and the global community for funding for this purpose,” he added.

In an effort by the University to increase its program options, the Vice-Chancellor also announced that Takoradi Technical University has received accreditation for six new Master of Technology programs.

“I am happy to announce that for this year, a total of six new MTech programs received accreditation… the accredited MTech programs are: Innovation and Enterprise Development, Mechanical Engineering, Power Production Systems and Integration, Hospitality and Tourism Management, Mathematics and Statistics, and Construction Engineering Management,” he mentioned.

He also added that Takoradi Technical University, through the European Union-funded Twin-Cities in Sustainable Partnership Project (TCSPP), is collaborating with the Maritime Institute of Palermo, Italy, to establish a Maritime Training Centre to provide professional maritime skills training and certification with the International Maritime Organization’s standards.

The Chairman of the TTU Governing Council, Dr. Samuel Amo Tobin, also speaking at the 23rd Congregation, said the management of TTU has done a lot over the period and, however, called on the Government, the Ministry of Education, and the Western Regional Coordinating Council to support the University in the provision of infrastructure; lecture theaters, laboratories, and workshops to help meet the ever-growing number of students and their learning demands at the University.

In an address read on behalf of the Minister for Education, Dr. Yaw Adutwum, he said the government remains committed to increasing Ghana’s Gross Tertiary Education Ratio from the current 20 percent to 40 percent by 2030.

In all, 322 Bachelor of Technology graduates were awarded First Class, with 1,596 also obtaining a second class upper. For Higher National Diplomas, 194 received First Class, while 1,776 obtained Second Class Upper.

The 2022/2023 Disability Unit’s Barrier-Breaking First-class award was received by Ms. Buabeng Ama Andowa, a B-Tech Graphics graduate.

The Overall Best Graduating Student for the TTU 23rd Congregation was received by Michelle Akoto Boateng, a Tourism Management student, who won five awards.

Her awards included; Best graduating female for Applied Science, Overall best graduating student for applied sciences, Overall Best graduating HND student, and Best graduating HND female student.

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