Narh appeals to education committee to examine technical subjects

Tema, Oct 13, GNA- Mr Samuel Evans Ashong Narh, Tema Municipal Chief Executive, at the weekend appealed to the Education Reform Review Committee to examine the technical reforms that constitute one of the major problems of the education reforms programme.

He said many junior secondary school pupils leave school without ever handling a tool, while many workshops are lying idle and the few technical equipment supplied to the schools have never been used. In a speech read for him at the 20th anniversary speech and prize giving day of the Methodist Day Secondary, Mr Narh said many secondary/technical schools which came with the reforms cannot also be described as fulfilling their missions because of lack of equipment. ''It is important that while educational courses be fashioned to meet international standards it is imperative that these courses are designed in such a way as to stimulate the dormant innate creative talent of the youth'', he said.

Mr Narh said time has come for all stakeholders in education to take an honest and critical look at the education system to make it more responsive to the development needs of the nation.

''This is because it is becoming increasingly clear that there is an over-riding need to equip our youth with employable skills which can make them become self employed'', he said.

He said it is in this regard that the government is giving increasing attention to technical and vocational education, and suggested that the churches also give attention to the establishment of vocational training centres and technical schools.

Perhaps it is about time the Ghana Education Service (GES) also considered introducing the basics of entrepreneurial skills at the Senior Secondary School (SSS) level since the subject is being pursued at some tertiary institutions.

An endowment fund for MEDASS initiated by the Board of Governors was launched.

It will be used to build an assembly hall, library, science laboratory with rooms for Home Economics and Visual Arts workshop, and a computer laboratory.