Kumasi, May 30, GNA - Mr. Asamoah Duodu, Director, Technical and Vocational Education Division of the Ghana Education Service (GES) has said the quality of technical education delivery in Ghana at all levels was not encouraging.

As a result, graduates turned out with skills and knowledge do not meet the relevant current needs of industry, he said. He was speaking at a graduation and award ceremony for 50 Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) instructors from three technical and vocational institutes at Ramseyer Vocational/Technical Institute (RVTI) at Kyirapatre in Kumasi at the weekend.

The six-month orientation course which was attended by 22 teachers from Kumasi Technical Institute (KTI), 10 from Catholic Technical Institute (CTI) and 18 from RVTI was designed and sponsored by the Learn4work project, a non-governmental organization in Holland and the University of Education Winneba (UEW)-College of Technology Education in Kumasi. It was aimed at realizing a mind shift in the teachers, a necessary pre-condition to the introduction of competency-based training as a means of improving quality of technical and vocational educational (TVET) delivery. The course had two objectives; to convert the academic approach to a more practical one and to design a learning environment in which students could show their competencies.

Mr. Duodu said with the focus now on technical education, steps were being taken to address the problems militating against quality delivery of the sub-sector of education both at the pre-tertiary and the tertiary levels.

He said the course was of prime importance and a step in the right direction and stressed the need to orientate other TVET personnel such as administrators, principals and other centre managers who all matter to enhance technical education delivery. Professor Dr. James Flolu, Rector, UEW-College of Technology Education Kumasi, advised the graduates to work diligently and be very innovative to attract more people into TVET.

He said it was unfortunate that Technical education has been left at the periphery of formal education though the country has on its agenda since 1919 to make technical and female education the basis of its development. Mr. Jan Boter, a Dutch educational consultant and facilitator, advised the teachers to be proactive and use the skills acquired to solve problems in and outside the classroom to pave way for national development. Nana Owusu Anno III, Chief of Kyirapatre, expressed joy at the fact that the piece of land released to the Presbyterian Church for the establishment of the Institute was gradually and effectively being developed.