No gov’t done as much for TVET as NPP – Bawumia

The commitment of the Akufo-Addo administration to the revamping and expansion of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is unmatched, Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has declared.

This commitment has been manifested in various forms, from the enactment of appropriate legislation, through the massive investments in the rehabilitation, refurbishment and provision of infrastructure in existing training institutions, construction of State of the Art TVET institutions, and the rolling out of the Free TVET programme to complement the Free Senior High School (FSHS) programme, with many more in the offing.

Speaking at a sod-cutting ceremony for Phase One of the construction of 32 State of the Art TVET facilities at Abrankese, Greater Kumasi on Monday, 6th June 2022 Vice President Bawumia said “What we are witnessing today forms part of a broader government plan to make Ghana’s education system become responsive to industry needs.

“At the start of our administration in 2017, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo set out a clear plan to industrialize Ghana and one of the key pillars of that agenda is to revamp and modernize TVET so that it becomes responsive to the needs of industry. Also hinged on this vision is the dream to make TVET aspirational among the youth.

“The President’s goal is to make Ghana a world-class centre for skills development and a leading country in technical and vocational education training (TVET) delivery in Africa and also make skills acquisition aspirational for all Ghanaians.”

The NPP Government, Dr Bawumia indicated, has worked over the past five years to improve on governance and management by establishing the Commission for TVET (CTVET) and the TVET Service through the passing of Act 1023 and Act 1049 respectively to enhance quality, expand access, and increase funding for TVET, while undertaking major upgrades in infrastructure.

“This government’s commitment to transforming the TVET landscape is unmatched by any other government. In addition to these 32 new TVET institutions we are about to construct, Government has massively invested in TVET over the last five years.

“These include the upgrading and modernization of all the erstwhile 34 National Vocational and Technical Institutes (NVTI); upgrading and modernization of Head Offices together with 10 Regional Offices; upgrading and modernization of 5 apprenticeship offices across the country, and upgrading and modernization of the Opportunity Industrialization Center in Accra comprising the construction, rehabilitation and equipping of laboratories, workshops, additional classrooms, hostels, administrative, two (2) new foundries and machining centres – one in CSIR (Accra) and the other at KNUST, Kumasi to be inaugurated in Accra.

“In addition, are new workshops (computer, electrical, electronic, building construction, mechanical); rehabilitation of buildings in two (2) Technical institutes (Abetifi and Don Bosco) and four (4) Senior High Technical Schools (Kyebi SHTS, Dagbon State SHTS, St. Georges SHTS and GSTS); construction of five (5) new District TVET centres of excellence ongoing with that of Anyinam and Pakyi No. 2 near completion while that of Assin Jakai in Central Region, Akomadan and Manso Abore in Ashanti Region will start soon.

“Also, we have completed and inaugurated the rehabilitating and upgrading of ten (10) Technical Universities and thirteen (13) Technical Institutes which includes construction of new workshops/laboratories and supply and installation of equipment fit for disciplines in electrical and electronics engineering, welding technology, automotive maintenance, civil engineering, and mechanical engineering.

“It is this government’s goal and objective to actively promote TVET and to ensure that it becomes the preferred choice of the Ghanaian youth.”