Cultural exchange programme between Dutch Porta Mosana College and Liati DANCOTECH takes off
Thirty students and five teachers from the Porta Mosana College in Maastricht, the Netherlands, on Monday, June 7, paid a familiarisation visit to the St. Daniel Comboni Technical Vocational Institute (DANCOTECH) at Liati-Agbonyra in the Afadzato South District of the Volta Region.
The visit marks the commencement of a newly established cultural exchange programme between the two schools, facilitated by Ghanaian tour group, Jolinaiko Eco Tours.
The Headmistress of the Dutch school, Dr Miek Cuypers, explained that the exchange programme aims to enable students to become “global citizens,” rather than remaining confined to their local communities after school.
She noted that current global development trends require the youth to explore and exchange ideas across cultures, and the initiative seeks to promote such cross-cultural learning experiences.
Dr Cuypers also announced plans to establish similar ties with J.G. Knol Technical Institute at Adukrom in the Eastern Region and Keta Senior High Technical School in the Volta Region.
She said her school focuses on pre-university academic studies with Dutch and English as the media of instruction.
“We hope students from Ghana will soon visit us in the Netherlands under the programme,” she added.
The Principal of St. Daniel Comboni Technical Vocational Institute, Mr Godfred Tsotorvor, said the school was established in 1981 by the Comboni Missionaries to provide technical and vocational skills training to the youth of Liati and its surrounding communities. The school, he noted, was absorbed into the public school system in 2012.
According to Mr Tsotorvor, DANCOTECH has persevered with limited resources over the years. However, following the introduction of the Free Senior High School policy, enrolment has increased significantly—from 120 students in 2016 to 620 currently.
He said the student population comprises 466 boys and 154 girls, supported by 35 teaching staff and 15 non-teaching staff.
Courses offered at the institute include architectural drafting technology, building construction technology, electrical engineering, and fashion design technology. Others are hospitality and catering management, motor vehicle engineering, and wood construction technology.
Mr Tsotorvor said the cultural exchange programme would help broaden the intellectual and cultural perspectives of the students.
Meanwhile, founder of Jolinaiko Eco Tours, Mr Apollo Panou, commended DANCOTECH’s focus on programmes relevant to Ghana’s development needs. He assured that the tour group would offer practical training sessions to students as part of the initiative.
Mr Panou, who also serves as Vice Chairman of the Volta Hoteliers Association, said the training would better prepare students for the job market upon graduation.
The visiting students and teachers are expected to stay in Ghana for three weeks.
