Some of the executives of the TTU WITED. INSET: Professor Smile Gavua Dzisi
Policymakers and parents have been called upon to support and encourage the girl-child in pursuing programmes in science, technology, environment and mathematics to contribute meaningfully to the advancement of societies.
The initiative would also give the girl-child the right footings in breaking barriers in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
Professor Smile Gavua Dzisi, the West African President of the Women in Technical Education and Development (WITED), made the call during the inauguration of the Takoradi Technical University Chapter of WITED.
It was on the theme: “Harnessing Technical and Vocational Education to Enhance Gender Equity for National Development”.
Professor Dzisi mentioned that harnessing equity called for support in breaking socio-cultural boundaries whiles ensuring adequate exposure of the girl-child to the male dominated sectors.
She gave an assurance that WITED would work to step up interest of girls in the basic, senior and even tertiary institutions to choose programmes in the science.
“WITED will also provide the requisite support and enabling environment to be able to contribute meaningfully to their respective societies”, she indicated.
She noted that in Ghana, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) systems were often gender-biased, affecting men and women’s access to specific learning programmes or occupations.
“Such gender divisions contribute to the perpetuation of gender inequalities at work and society at large”, she added.
She revealed that the Ghana Education Sector Performance Report issued in 2015 indicated that gender parity in TVET was weakening, adding “it has fallen from 50 per cent in the 2009/2010 academic year to 29 per cent in 2015, which is a worrying trend”.
Professor Frank John Eshun, the Vice-Chancellor of the University encouraged a strong advocacy for more women in TVET education to realise more opportunities.
“We need a gender responsive strategy, since educating a woman transcend beyond herself to many individuals and generations. We at the university are ready to work to support more women enroll in the subject area”, he added.
Mrs. Akua Burma, an architect, noted that achieving the sustainable development goals called for more women working in industry and manufacturing sector.
Dr. Eudora Hagan, the Chapter President of WITED pledged their commitment to ensure increase awareness on TVET education and its bearing on development and the need for the country to pay attention to the sector.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi