Government to establish more technical institutes

The government intends to establish at least one more technical institutes, in each district to ensure that the youth are provided with vocational and technical (VOTEC) skills that would help transform the country into an industrially prosperous one.

Mr. Henry K. Ofori-Awuah, deputy Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), who announced this at the handing-over of the VOTEC resource centre project to the Obuasi Secondary/Technical School at Obuasi, said the development of technical and vocational education could serve as a catalyst to the government's poverty reduction strategy.

The VOTEC resource centre project, which was carried out by the Government of Ghana with assistance from the Dutch government, seeks to help solve some of the problems confronting the effective delivery of technical and vocational education in the country.

The project also focuses on the supply of modern training machinery, tools and equipment to the technical institutes to enable them to provide the type of skills training that are relevant, effective and efficient to the needs of industry and the nation.

Mr Ofori-Awuah said there is no gainsaying the fact that skills training that is currently being offered in technical institutes does not measure up to the current practices in industry because of lack of adequate equipment, facilities and workshops.

"If we want to remain in tune with scientific and technological developments that are taking place in the world and also reduce poverty, then it is important that we constantly reform and upgrade our technical education system through the provision of such intervention."

The deputy Director-General said, there are 20 VOTEC resource centres sited throughout the country and Obuasi Secondary/Technical School was selected as one of the centers, "because we recognise the importance of the area as far as mining is concerned".

Mr Ofori-Awuah added that there is the need to develop a proper manpower base that will fit into the needs and aspirations of the mining industry.

On his part, Mr G. Esser, a representative of the Dutch government, said the machines cost his government 600,000 US dollars.

He said the facilities assembled at the VOTEC resource centre are one of the best and therefore, urged the school authority to cultivate a high sense of maintenance culture to enable future generations to benefit from the facility.

Nana James Y. Oppong, the headmaster of the school, noted that the VOTEC would become a "white elephant" if training materials were not provided in good time.

He therefore, appealed to the government and the GES to release funds to facilitate the provision of the relevant training and educational materials required for the centre.