The Committee at some of the centres
The Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education, also Member of Parliament for Fanteakwa North in the Eastern Region, Amankwa Asiamah, has entreated the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to put government equipment in use.
According to him, “We need knowledge, skills, technical know-how and this is what we need, they are trying but it is not enough. The facilities given them are not being put into good use if you could listen to the Pro-Vice-Chancellor when he was making his presentation, you can deduce from the fact that not everything that has been given to them here now is being put into good news or the ultimate use, we need to probe more and make sure that they use the equipment for the purpose that they are here for”.
He made this assertion during a visit to some selected TVET projects with the Parliamentary Select Committee for Education on Monday.
The Parliamentary Select Committee for Education is currently touring ongoing TVET projects around the country to assess the progress and report back to the house.
Mr Asiamah was left impressed with the performance so far but believes there is a lot more to be done should they use the TVET as the stopgap between unproductive and productivity.
According to him, they have to do more to bring about skills and is of the view the lecturers will have to start the on slot in making sure that new technology is being applied by the student for them not to find themselves wanting when they go out.
He continued that, “Equipment has been lying for over three years without being put to good use we don’t need that, we need all the machines to be working in the field of teaching so that they can also transfer what they have learned or the technology to those down there and to also expand our industrial set up, that is what we need”
He reiterated his desire to probe into letters established for the contract to reverse the situation so that things are done as soon as possible for the benefit of the youth who are into TVET.
Asked if government achievement in TVET is progressive, he said, “Government has done a lot, it even beat my imagination to see all these machines and infrastructures in Ghana now. The present government is doing everything possible within its means to make sure that TVET becomes the order of the day, the employable sector, the mover of our industrialization, social infrastructure, they can do it and they have to do it, we have no option, this is the time” he said.
During the tour at some of the centres, there were clear indications that the government is upgrading and modernizing all National Vocational Training Institutes (NVTIs) and Opportunity Industrialisation Centres (OIC).
Also, the government is constructing three foundries and machining centres, work on which is ongoing, as well as work includes upgrading of 17 Technical and Vocational Institutes across the country and building an office complex to support the unit responsible for TVET examination.
Additional infrastructural equipment is also being provided at all technical universities to achieve quality delivery at the tertiary level with industry 4.0 standards.
The committee will be visiting the Central, Ashanti, and Eastern Region this week.
BY Daniel Bampoe