Govt is determined to promote technical education-

Accra, Jan. 6, GNA - The Ministry of Education would endeavour to whip up interest in the study of science and technology to ensure that governments' policy of 60:40 ratio admission requirement at the tertiary level was achieved.

Among the incentive packages are specific targeting of support to science and technology related courses as well as the provision of scholarships for the study of science. Mr. Alex Tettey-Enyo, Minister of Education announced this at the meet-the-press in Accra on Tuesday.

He said polytechnics were now being permitted to offer Bachelor Degrees in Technology programmes they had the capacity but with special preference for science and technology programmes. Mr. Tettey-Enyo explained that measures that underpinned government's commitment to promote science and technology in education included the improvement of technical and vocational education, rehabilitation of science laboratories in senior high schools, and the development of appropriate curriculum to instil innovation and creativity in the application of scientific knowledge.

He noted that a procurement process to utilize one million dollars sourcing from the GETfund to procure tools and equipment to improve technical and vocational education delivery had commenced as well as the completion of all outstanding projects and provision of infrastructure particularly classrooms to cater for the four-year SHS programme. Mr. Tettey-Enyo said as a developing country, Ghana needed the technical manpower to drive industry and therefore encouraged parents and the public to sensitize JHS and SHS graduates, to develop interest in technical and vocational education.

He advised students to take advantage of the current technological dispensation and enrol into technical and vocational institutions to develop their skills and knowledge to help in the country's development. On access to education, Mr. Tettey-Enyo said Ghana had made considerable progress at all levels of education and moved close to meeting her targets on enrolment at the basic level of education but there was still a lot to be done to achieve universal primary completion. He indicated that enrolment at the pre-school level had increased from 1,258,483 in 2007/2008 academic year to 1,338,454 in 2008/2009 academic year while there was two per cent increase in the number of public schools during the period.

The Minister of Education said there was a general increment on enrolment and performance at all levels of education but the level of performance was not up to expectation and pledged the Ministry's determination to ensure further improvement in future. He announced that a stakeholders' meeting to further discuss the computerized school selection and placement system would be held this month to address the challenges with its implementation to develop an efficient and workable mechanism. Mr. Tettey-Enyo said the Ministry would also promote quality education through improvement in quality teaching, learning, teacher development, deployment and retention.