Set up separate ministry for technical and vocational education – Association

The Association of Principals of Technical Institutions (APTI), has called for the establishment of a separate ministry for technical and vocational education.

This, it indicated, was necessary to assist develop a more coherent national policy and programs to significantly raise the quality of technical and vocational education.

Dr. Joseph Abeiku Apprey, President of the Association, said there needed to be a fundamental change in the nation’s approach to that education sector.

Addressing the 32nd conference of APTI, in Kumasi, he said efforts at equipping the youth with the relevant knowledge, expertise and skills to become self-employed must be scaled up.

That was the way forward to tackle the growing employment among the nation’s young people, to transform their living conditions.

“Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) reforms in the current dispensation and the way forward”, was the theme for the four-day conference.

It provided the platform for the technical institution heads to discuss issues affecting the progress of TVET and the general education system.

Dr. Apprey said it was time the people changed the negative perceptions they had about vocational and technical education and enthusiastically embraced it.

The Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr. John Alexander Ackon, underlined the government’s determination to adequately resource the technical and vocational institutions to enable them to deliver.

TVET, he noted, played vital role in strengthening the middle level industrial man-power base of both developing and developed economies.

Source: GNA