Former KNUST VC calls for separation of technical and vocational education training

Former vice chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of science and technology, Professor Willaim Otto Ellis has called for the separation of technical and vocational education. This, he indicated will assist the country develop a more coherent national policy and programs to significantly raise the quality of technical and vocational education in the country.

Speaking at the official launch of the 20th anniversary of the Koforidua Technical University, Professor Otto Ellis said the country has suffered major setbacks in development because policy makers have failed to recognize and rectify the conflict that has existed between technical education and training and vocational education and training.

The launch of the 20th anniversary coincided with the Appiah-Bentil Andam lecture series organized in hounour of Dr.Henry Appiah and Professor Aba Bentil Andam, who were the first principal and pioneering governing council chairperson of the school respectively.

The ceremony which was under the theme: Leveraging technical education for nation building, witnessed education stakeholders speak to and suggest solutions to the many challenges confronting technical education in the country.

Launching the anniversary,eastern regional minister,Eric Kwakye Daffuour called for conscious efforts towards developing the human resource base of the country.

Dr.Daniel Mckorley,CEO of McDan group of companies called for a paradigm shift in tertiary education.

He charged tertiary institutions to focus on practical based learning than theory.

Delivering the keynote address,immediate past vice chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology,Professor William Otto Ellis emphasized the need to decouple technical education from vocational training to help develop a more coherent national education policy.

"It is important as a country to distinguish between technical education training and vocational education training. We have failed to develop as a country because we have not been able to know how the two forms of education works". He stated.

Vice chancellor of the Koforidua technical university, Professor Smile Gavua Dzisi underlined the need to make skills acquisition the primary focus of the nation's education.

It must shift from competitive examination and certification to equipping students with vital knowledge, right attitudes and skills that would make them employable.

The Koforidua technical university which begun as a polytechnic in the year 1997 will hold its anniversary in November this year.