Dr Yayra Dzakadzie, Director for Tertiary Education at the Ministry of Education, has reiterated government’s plan to use Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) for the rapid transformation of the country.

He said the Ho Technical University (HTU) was well-positioned for the task and urged the management of the institution to design courses and programmes for the real world-changing experience.

“Management must stay ahead of the curve for the best education and must constantly re-evaluate their programmes, to make sure it falls in line with latest industry trends and demands as the world gallops at an unprecedented speed with new things.”

A total of 1,154 students graduated with one Masters of Technology (MTech), 249 Bachelor of Technology (BTech) and 904 Higher National Diploma (HND).

Speaking during the 23rd Congregation ceremony of the HTU in Ho,

Dr Dzakadzie said the enrolment had reflected in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the HTU and the Nuclear Power Ghana consorDiplomastium and the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, on nuclear science and technology education to facilitate the development of a requisite human resource for the country’s nuclear energy programme.

He said the MOU presented a significant step forward to building a world-class education to rival other nations, which called for the adoption of programmes to suit the global environment to make graduands versatile to succeed in today’s economy.

Dr Dzakadzie said the country’s Gross Tertiary Enrollment Ratio (GTER) stood at 20 per cent from the previous figure of 18.83 per cent with a goal of reaching a ratio of 40 per cent by 2030 is on course.

He said MOE was dedicated to promoting innovation and creativity by implementing Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) to facilitate a human resource foothold on the fourth industrial revolution and skills workforce.

Dr Dzakadzie said five STEM base Universities have since been established in five of the new regions to hone activities in the subject area, and increase enrolment in science, technology engineering and mathematics, which was crucial for the socio-economic development of the country.

He said the government was poised to support the TVET sector to drive the transformation of the country and had responded by establishing state-of-the-art laboratories and workshops for technical Universities.

Dr Dzakadzie exhorted the graduands describing them as holding the key to the economic transformation with their exceptional skills acquired as job creators to succeed with self-determination.

“Do not be afraid to fail as failure is one step to success. Make the attempt and remember if you don’t fail, you are not even trying. Take risks to get something you never had, you must do something,” he encouraged them.

He reminded them to take a cue from the inventor of the light bulb, Thomas Addison, who failed 1,000 times to arrive at his goal saying failure was the best way to figure out your way out.

Prof Ben Q. Honyenugah, Vice Chancellor of HTU outlined that staff profile of the University is gradually improving and now stood at over 60 academic staff with PhDs compared to only 14 PhDs in 2019 as the University targets at least 80 per cent of academic staff having PhDs through various forms of sponsorship.

He said students’ inability to honour their obligations on time, posed financial difficulty to the University with increasing demands, nevertheless, Management was ensuring prudent use of resources and progressively re-organising production units to generate the needed Internally Generated Fund to support effective teaching, learning, research, and innovation in the University

He said delays in the completion of Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFUND) sponsored projects remained a major challenge with the assurance of expedited action towards completion, this year.

Despite these challenges, Prof Honyenugah said the University was striving to become a hub of practical education and innovation and appealed to all stakeholders to put their shoulders to the wheel in delivering on the mandate of training highly competent human capital for sustainable development.

Madam Yvonne Ayeley Dugbartey, Chief Executive Officer of Makay Catering Services, Accra, and an alumna of the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management, encouraged the fresh graduates to embrace entrepreneurship as means of creating value for themselves and others.

Mr Mawunyega Awunor, an HND Agro Enterprise student was adjudged the overall best graduand.