Help find solutions to challenges confronting society
The Minister of Education, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has reminded technical universities in the country of the need to take their rightful place in finding solutions to challenges confronting society in general, just like their counterparts everywhere.
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He said the government, through the Ministry of Education and Council for Technical, Vocational Education and Training (COTVET), would continue to support technical education in general and the Kumasi Technical University (KsTU) in particular, and urged technical universities to align their programmes to address pertinent problems affecting the country.
The minister made the statement in an address read on his behalf by his deputy, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, at the 12th Congregation of the KsTU in Kumasi.
The occasion saw 2,569 students, made up of 1,543 males and 1,016 females, receiving certificates in Higher National Diploma (HND), Professional Diploma and Bachelor of Technology (B.TEC).
Attention
Dr Opoku-Prempeh mentioned that the government was determined to give sufficient attention to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) since that would lead to the training of men and women with the needed practical application of knowledge or technical skills structured to tackle the economic and social challenges facing the nation.
He encouraged technical universities to continue to maintain a strong collaboration with industry and also tailor their curricula to equip students with the necessary skills, knowledge and exposure to enable them to fit into the job market.
He also touched on the demand for wage increment by public sector workers, especially those in the education sector, and advised them to be circumspect in their demand for such increments.
He explained that although the government was doing everything possible to stabilise the economy, there was the need for all to exercise restraint since the government needed time to resolve such issues, though it was sensitive to their plights.
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Rightful place
The interim Vice Chancellor of the KsTU, Professor Asiamah Yeboah, appealed to the government to, urgently review the working conditions of staff of technical universities to end their exodus to the traditional universities where conditions of service were better although they might have the same qualification.
He explained that if the exodus was not checked, it could defeat the purpose of converting polytechnics to technical universities.
He announced that to enhance the job prospects of its students, it had entered into a partnership with the University of Education Winneba (UEW) to train some of its students in August this year, to enable them to come out as professional teachers after acquiring their HND, B.Tech and other certificates they might have obtained from the institution.
That, according to him, was to increase the chances of their students with regard to getting jobs after their training, as well as produce more professionals to handle the various technical subjects in the various stages of the nation’s education.
The Chief of Adanse Dompoase, Okofo Sobin Kan II, who represented the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, commended chiefs of Kuntanase, Adako Jachie and Piase for giving out large tracts of land to the KsTU for expansion and implored other chiefs to emulate the gesture when called upon to do so, to enable them to train more of the youth.
He advised the graduates to make maximum use of the skills they had acquired during their studies for their benefit and that of society in general.