Ministry of Education is in the process to move all technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions in the country under one umbrella-Technical and Vocational Training Service, a newly created agency to champion the revolution of TVET to a higher pedestal.

Currently, there are over 200 technical and vocational training instructions spread across 15 different Ministries including the Employment and Labour Relations, Gender and Social Protection, Transport and Local Government and Rural Development.

Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, Deputy Minister of Education has indicated that as part of the implementation of the Free SHS/TVET policy, a technical committee has been set up to oversee the repackaging and development of TVET institutions to position them to train the requisite middle level human resource to steer government’s industrialization agenda.

He said: “We believe that TVET has to be strengthened if this nation wants to train the needed middle level manpower to drive industries for economic transformation. We will adopt a German model where students will spend most of their time on the job field for practical experience and supplement it with less test book learning.”

The Deputy Education Minister was speaking at a media sensitization workshop held in Sunyani for practitioners in the Brong Ahafo Region on the Free SHS/TVET policy. The gathering formed part of series of stakeholders’ engagements to explain the nitty-gritties of the flagship policy before its full implementation takes off in September this year.

The premise of the policy, he emphasized, is to ensure that money does not continue to prevent people from enjoying quality education, saying “removing cost barrier is very critical to our education.” He was quick to add that quality will not be compromised under the implementation of the Free SHS/TVET adding “the benchmarks for the policy are equity, quality and access.”

In order to ensure physical expansion and infrastructural improvement, Dr. Adutwum indicated that government would develop 42 model schools to rub shoulders with the ‘elite SHS’ and also to strengthen the basic level, 1,000 nursery schools would be constructed across the country.