Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum – Minister of Education
At last government has rolled out the Technical and Vocational Educational Training (TVET) initiative and for gratis. The rollout is part of the general release of the 2021/2022 outcome of the Computerised School Placement programme.
As we compose this commentary, many candidates have accessed their placements and those who did not fall in the category of the automatic placement bracket, are doing self-placement through an alternative arrangement spelt out by the placement secretariat.
So far so good is our verdict on the performance of William Darkwah and his team. At the time he announced the arrangement to make the programme seamless, we could not avoid digesting the announcement with a pinch of salt considering the previous years’ hiccups.
With a few days into the general accessing of the placements, we cannot but shower plaudits upon the secretariat for a wonderful job done.
We do not have doubts in our minds that parents and stakeholders in education especially at the level of senior high school have been spared the annual hassle of seeking admission for their wards.
This year’s chapter of school placement, unlike previous ones, has the TVET novelty imbedded in it which makes it special. The TVET novelty is government’s recent template for addressing, among others, the challenge of unemployment in the country.
As part of the free SHS policy, we entreat parents and students to consider the importance of the TVET novelty and leverage upon it.
Technical and vocational education is a sure means of affording the youth the opportunity of self-employment in future.
Looking at the array of courses available for students who opt for TVET, we can vouch for its apt leverage for our national interest.
It is important to spread the good news about TVET so that a new mindset will be cultivated about technical education. In earlier times, this aspect of education did not have a long following because of a contemptuous mindset about vocational studies.
We are not oblivious about the fact of the breakthrough made by countries in Asia through deliberate policies on technical education. This is something we should learn from.
We cannot industrialise without such shift in educational policy. Government must be saluted for taking the bold step in investing in this category of education the results of which would be discerned in future.
Technical and vocational education are desiderata for our industrialisation dream and so it behooves us to offer the needed support for it to succeed. Such support can come in varied forms. Constructive criticisms without malice and provision of facilities for students to do internship by private sector are some of the encouragement all citizens can offer such a national crusade.
The large investment in this project is huge and so success should be the ultimate dream.