‘Technical, vocational education not preserve of school dropouts’
The Head of the Radio, Television and Electrical Department of the Kumasi Technical Institute (KTI), Mrs Patricia Boso, has urged the public to change their mindset that technical and vocational education is the preserve of school drop outs.
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She said the economic transformation and development of all countries depended on the technical ability of its human resource, which was only possible through technical and vocational education.
“We want to let the public know that technical education is for people who are alert and creative. It engages the hands, mind and all aspects of the body. The younger ones need to go through it so that they will not join the group of unemployed people on the streets,” she said.
Workshop
She made the call at a workshop organised by the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET) under its Development of Skills in Industry Programme (DSIP) to create awareness of and sensitise the public to the need for technical education.
The workshop was attended by more than 100 students from three schools, including Odorgonno Senior High School, Amasaman Senior High Technical School and Pentecost Vocational Institute, all in the Greater Accra Region.
Mrs Boso, the winner of the 2012 Best Teacher Award, encouraged students and the public to embrace the Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) initiative, which is focused on using role models to whip up interest in technical education.
“TVET will equip young people with the skills to survive and the key to a successful career,” she said.
Gender parity in education
For her part, the Programmes Officer of Vocational Training for Females (VTF), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Ms Esinam Tetteh, encouraged female students to pursue science and technical courses that were perceived to be for males.
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She urged parents to give equal opportunities to both male and female students, since both were capable of excelling if given the opportunity.
The Communications and Outreach Officer of COTVET, Mr Frank Agyei-Owusu, explained that COTVET had initiated a nationwide awareness creation and education to enable people to prioritise TVET.
TVET is a lucrative area to explore, he said, and urged parents not to discourage their children who wished to pursue technical education.