The Ministry of Education has supplied 2,586 pieces of assorted Science, ICT, Technical and Vocational equipment to the Mampong Technical College of Education in its bid to deliver quality technical education in the country, using the college as a centre of excellence.

The equipment includes electronic kilns, heat transmission ovens, concrete block making machines, concrete drilling machines, desktop and laptop computers, sewing machines, grinding machines, biological models, portable strobe lights, VCD/DVD combos, graph boards, and developing tables, among others.

This was revealed by the Principal of the College, Rev. Dr. Nyueiko Avotri, at the College’s 10th graduation ceremony held at Asante Mampong on Friday. He also stated that this year, the College has been allocated GHS372, 249.00 for academic facility infrastructure and faculty development through the GETFund, for which the College was immensely grateful.

In his address, the Minister for Education, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, noted that with a shift of economic markets from a local to a global arena, competition in economic markets has become more intense, driving the demand for expertise and high quality, skilled workforce.

To this end, the development and promotion of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) has become one of the most important strategies in both developing and developed countries, with countries like Malaysia and Singapore, our contemporaries in the 1960s, being catapulted into economic giant status by relying on TVET, technology and skills training. “If we are to compete effectively in the global space, then it is imperative that we strengthen our commitment to TVET.

And that is precisely what this government, under the leadership of President Akufo-Addo, seeks to achieve by reforming this vital sector, especially as vocational and technical skills will be crucial in sustaining government’s One District, One Factory programme”, Dr. Prempeh declared.

The measures announced by the Minister in government’s bid to mainstream TVET include undertaking structural reforms by setting up a TVET Service, and TVET Council, and dedicating a whole division of the education service to technical and vocational education, which would have its own Director-General. In addition, the Ministry of Education has been restructured, dedicating one Deputy Minister entirely to technical and vocational education.

Other measures include a review of the curriculum of TVET institutions, construction of 20 modern TVET institutions across the country, upgrading some 35 National and Vocational Training Institutes across the country, and upgrading colleges of education that specialize in technology.

The colourful ceremony saw the conferment of the Diploma in Basic Education (Technical Option) on 327 graduating students who have successfully completed their course of study.

Afterwards, the Minister, accompanied by College officials, toured the campus to inspect the equipment supplied by the government, as well as various workshops used for training students in their course of study.