Official calls for stepping up of vocational training

An educationist has said there was the need to fight the notion that Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) was the preserve of only males.

Mr Mathew Dally, Project Coordinator and Head the COTVET-Project Support Unit, said this at the 10th Graduation Ceremony of the Baptist Vocational Training Centre at Frankadua.

He said the lead role in that fight must be taken by Career Guidance and Counselling Personnel and Parents.

Mr Dally described the situation as a “stereotypical gender imbalance in our society,” stressing that in some other countries, girls as electronics repairers, mechanics and welders, among others, was normal.

He said countries referred to as the Asian Tigers, namely Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan, “all have very solid technical and vocational education as propellers to their industrialized status”.

The Institute was founded by the Ghana Baptist Convention in 1999, initially, to give livelihood skills to liberated ‘Trokosi Girls.”

It later expanded to cater for Junior High School, (JHS) and Senior High School (SHS) students as well as school dropout interested in acquiring occupational skills.

The 10th batch of graduating students were 23, nine of them, liberated ‘Trokosis’.

Emmanuel Obani, the Institute’s Accountant told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the three-year course, including, tuition, boarding, meals, materials for practical lessons, and examination fees was totally free.

He said additionally, the liberated ‘Trokosis’ got tools and seed money to start micro-businesses.

Rev Grace Akunor, Manageress complained the Institute did not have permanent classrooms as a result classes were held sometimes on corridors.

She said the Institute also needed a bus to facilitate the movement of students.

Rev Akunor commended the Ghana Baptist Foundation for giving the Institute a pickup.

She said her dream was for the Institute to be aligned to a tertiary institution shortly.

Rev Akunor said the Institute had started putting up traveler’s stop-over, which would be open to visitors and students.

Rev Enoch Thompson, Vice-President of the Baptist Convention said the Institute provides opportunities for the under-privileged to acquire employable skills.

He said it was obvious that government alone could not create jobs.

Rev Thompson appealed to government to ensure that existing laws banning practices such as ‘trokosi’ were enforced.

Mr Christian Agordah, Assistant Commissioner, National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI), commended the Baptist Convention for establishing the Institute and said it was next to impossible for the government alone to establish all the institutions for vocational training.

He said skills training was not targeted at school dropouts but accommodates all levels of intelligence.