The nonexistence of a Technical Institute in the Ho Municipal area at present has created a big void in the human development process in the area.

Mr Nelson Akorli, Principal of the Kpando Technical Institute, stated this at a Ho Development Association (HDA) Colloquium in Ho on Easter Saturday.

He said lots of young people from the area, needing vital employable skills, had no training opportunities within their vicinities and were thus left with difficulty in choosing careers.

Ho had a Technical Institute in the past but this was upgraded into the current Polytechnic.

Mr Akorli recalled the popularity of that technical school from which, he said, many functional artisans in the area today trained.

Mr Emmanuel Keteku, Ho Municipal Director of Education, briefed the colloquium on the reasons for the falling standards of students in public schools in the Municipal Area. They recorded 53.7 per cent passes in the 2011 Basic Education Certificate Examinations.

He said, performance in schools, going by the national benchmark was not good, and that the Education Directorate had a grasp of the factors responsible for this situation.

Mr conceded that many teachers in the Ho area were doing part time courses in tertiary schools in town and could be using pupil-teacher contact hours for their private studies.

Dickson Pi-Bansah, Secretary of the Planning Committee, told the GNA that the colloquium was being revived as a yearly affair to tackle pertinent developmental issues of the area.

He said there would be committees to deliberate decisions taken, with evaluation teams tasked to ensure they were implemented.

Other topics discussed include The Role of Small-Scale Businesses in Development.

Mr Isaac Kodobisah, Ho Municipal Chief Executive, and Captain George Nfodjoh (rtd), Ho Central Member of Parliament, were at the meeting which was also attended by chiefs.**