Technical and Vocational institutions to be accredited

Frankadua (E/R), Feb. 21, GNA - The Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET) would soon start a nationwide registration, accreditation and re-validation of technical and vocational training institutions. The criteria to be applied would be instructors' qualifications, facilities and equipment, financial management and engagement with private sector. Other areas are career guidance and job placement, professional development of trainers and managers, assessment by private sector groups such as the Association of Ghana industries (AGI) and success rates of graduates.

Mr Daniel Baffour Awuah, Executive Director of COTVET announced these at the commissioning of two dormitory blocks and facilities for the Baptist Vocational Training Centre at Frankadua, Eastern region on Friday. The 162,000-dollar facility was funded by "The American Baptist Churches of Massachusetts (TABCOM) of the United States of America (USA). Mr Awuah said there were several institutions offering all types of vocational education in the country, which should not be the case. He said the ranking and accreditation status of such institutions would be reviewed and incentives provided for them to improve their performances in order to meet additional criteria for further assessment. Mr Awuah said COTVET would also explore other models of accreditation including "programme and organization accreditation." He said programmes and institutions would be accredited to allow for credit transfers for further education based on the "Recognition of Prior Learning Policy" to be developed soon.

Reverend Dr Stephen K. Asante, President of the Ghana Baptist Convention (GBC) urged girls of the vocational centre to aspire to greater heights in formal education because they have the potential to do so. "Girls can be great," he said and added that they should not consider marriage as the ultimate goal of womanhood because they are not incubators for producing babies.

"Do not accept any small thing, see yourselves as already in the University," he exhorted. The Centre was established by the Ghana Baptist Convention in 1998 to train 'Trokosi girls, who have gained their freedom to acquire vocational skills to become economically independent.