Agona Swedru, Dec 30, GNA - The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the ONAK Computer Technology Training Institute, Mr Emmanuel Kweku Aseidu, has appealed to the government to waive the Value Added Tax (VAT) for students of the institute.

He described VAT for computer training as a disincentive, which could kill the zeal of people desirous of becoming computer literate in a technological age.

Mr Asiedu was speaking at the second passing out of 21 students after three months for software and six months for hardware training at the Institute.

He stressed the determination of the Institute to play a leading role in Information Technology (IT) training in the Central Region and appealed to the government to take a second look at the payment of VAT for computer training.

The CEO said the Institute would extend its facilities to primary and JSS pupils for a token fee, to help achieve the government's aim of making Ghana the IT hub of the West Africa sub-region within the next 10 years.

He announced that a computer research laboratory was to be added to the existing facilities for people from the academia to conduct research and said that plans were far advance to register students of the Institute for West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) examinations and certificate through the National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI). The CEO said the students would also be made to sit external examinations offered by Microsoft on the INTERNET, next academic year. Mr Samuel Oppong, former MP for Agona West, urged parents to take advantage of the Institute to encourage their children to become computer literate since "the world has become a global village through the computer".

He urged students to desist from drug abuse, alcoholism, which had negative effects on their studies and academic performance. Mr Oppong praised the government for launching the IT programme, which he said would push the country forward, saying, "the colonial masters deceived the early students who attended Achimota, Mfantsempim, and other big schools from learning science and this has retarded technological advancement of the nation".