Govt Should Give Bolgatanga and Wa Technical Universities

Many countries have made impacts on productivity and economic growth, as a result of making Vocational Education and Training (TVET) part of the integrated component of their national development strategies.

TVET highlights the importance of the acquisition of practical knowledge, skills and attitudes in any form of training offered by providers.

It is a training and education that relates to a specific trade, in which the learner participates and directly develops society.

The importance of TVET to human development cannot be overemphasized, since it offers the requisite training and capacity building for the youth, which is very critical for poverty reduction.

Perhaps, it is in recognition of the important role TVET plays in the socio-economic development of a nation, that informed the decision of both the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) governments to attach some level of importance to it.

Whilst the NDC government converted eight out of the 10 polytechnics in the country into technical universities and built some technical educational infrastructure at the senior high school levels, the ruling NPP government has pledged to continue the process.

The executive has given the assurance that it would convert the remaining two polytechnics in Bolgatanga and Wa into technical universities, including re-tooling them to befitting standards.

Any deliberate attempt to delay the conversion of the remaining two polytechnics into technical universities would not only pose a threat to the implementation of the government's policies of the One District One-Factory and the One Village, One Dam, but would help reduce the unemployment rate in the country.

It is obvious that human resource personnel such as engineers, technicians and agriculturalists would be needed to help implement these policies.

High level technical educational institutions, such as technical universities, would be needed to churn out this high calibre human resource base that would be needed for the effective implementation of the two policies.

The One District One-Factory and the One Village, One Dam would help reduce the unemployment rate in the country.

To demonstrate its commitment, the NPP, after winning the 2016 elections, allocated GH¢ 456.3 million in the 2017 budget statement for the implementation of the One-District One-Factory policy.

Various stakeholders, including the Minister of Education, Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh, at different forums, expressed the important role technical education could play in the implementation of the One District One-Factory project and that of One Village, One Dam.

"Technical universities will be at the forefront in providing the technical workforce for the government's policy of One District-One-Factory policy, from the project planning stage, through its implementation," he said.

A number of stakeholders, made up of traditional authorities, the youth, and civil society organisations, at different platforms, have expressed dissatisfaction about the government's failure and delay to convert the Bolgatanga and Wa polytechnics into technical universities.

The government's dream of the industrial revolution would be a mirage without the active involvement of the technical universities in the country.

It is for this reason it must speed up the process of converting the remaining two institutions into technical universities.

Source: GNA

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