Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh
The bill to establish the University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development, which Members of Parliament (MPs) called for it to be named after the late Akenten Appiah-Menka, an industrialist, as a mark of honour, has been passed.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, moved the motion for the bill to be read the third time in the House yesterday.
Government seeks to turn the Kumasi campus of the University of Education, Winneba, into a public tertiary institution to offer training in Technical and Vocational Education.
The University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development Bill, 2020 received the backing of the MPs who have urged President Akufo-Addo to name the yet-to-be established university after the renowned industrialist.
The Speaker of the House, Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye, also bought into the idea of naming the university after the late industrialist, while demanding the university to be made to stick to its core function and mandate, if the bill, which has 45 clauses, is eventually passed into law and given birth to the proposed university.
The USTED Bill, 2020 was presented to the House and read the first time on Tuesday, January 28, 2020, and was referred to the Committee on Education for consideration and report in accordance with Article 106 (4) and (5) of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana and Order 186 of the Standing Orders of the House.
Background
The government said Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is considered pivotal in the socio-economic development of every nation, and added that “a well-organized, effective and efficient TVET system leads to the production of skillful and competent manpower required to promote business productivity and technological innovation.”
In a memorandum accompanying the bill, the Ministry of Education indicated that an effective and efficient TVET system also has the potential to capacitate the nation to transform its local resources into value-added commodities for job creation and higher foreign exchange through exports.
While TVET has, for many years, formed part of Ghana’s educational system, the much needed expertise/skills that TVET graduates require to meet industrial demands and remain competitive within today’s technological environment and work organization, is lacking, the ministry indicated.
It noted that although many existing public universities offer technical and vocational courses and programmes, there is no public university dedicated to the training of teachers in technical and vocational education.
Government, in its quest to address the deficit, has recognized the need to prioritize the training of TVET teachers, instructors and administrators.
“It is in the light of this that the bill seeks to establish a university dedicated to the training of teachers to equip them with the requisite knowledge and skills in TVET. The establishment of the university will therefore go a long way to help transform TVET in the country, through effective teaching and learning,” it added.
The government stated that it would also aid in the acquisition of skills and entrepreneurial competencies that would position graduates to be competitive in the job market.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House