Wanted: A technical and vocational university for Ghana
Any country that aspires to be at the forefront of technological advancement has to marshall vocational skills as an indispensable tool for development.
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There are many examples all over the world of nations whose industrial success is hinged on technical and vocational education training popularly called TVET.
Germany, prior to World War II and after, laid a lot of emphasis on TVET.
It is, therefore, not surprising that Germany is one of the most industrialised countries in the world.
Many other nations such as Japan, South Korea, Turkey, Malaysia, Brazil, have followed the German example.
The earlier a nation invests in the area of TVET, the easier it would be for it to become industrialised and rub shoulders with the giants.
In Ghana, however, long before independence and up to this day, the emphasis has been on what I refer to as "grammar education."
As a country, we seem to be interested only in producing graduates who speak what I refer to as “big English.”
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Ghana has produced great legal brains, teachers and civil servants, among many other giants, in the arts, but has failed woefully, in my opinion, to produce people who are able to “create anything with their hands.”
In the 1980s, the then Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) government initiated moves to promote TVET at the basic level. It introduced the Junior Secondary School (JSS) system and sought to establish school workshops to train students of the JSS system to "enable them to create something.”
That system achieved very little results largely due to the failure of the government to live up to its responsibility of establishing the technical and vocational training workshops.
In spite of that, the nation still recognised that technical and vocational training was necessary and charged the Council for Technical and Vocational Education Training ( COTVET) to oversee TVET in Ghana.
The polytechnics were established to train middle level manpower in the area of technical and vocational education but have not fulfilled that mandate as was expected.
Sometime ago, the nation spent a lot of time discussing the relevance of Higher National Diploma (HND) and whether the HND was equivalent to a university degree.
Now, there is a debate to upgrade polytechnics to award degrees.
Indeed, a committee has presented a report to the government and it appears the way one could be said to have been educated is when he or she has a university degree to show.
Ghana needs a UTVET
During a recent interaction with officials of COTVET during a tour of Apostle Kwadwo Safo’s vehicle manufacturing plant at Gomoa Mpota in the Central Region, I wondered where a student who had pursued courses in vocational education at the secondary level and who wanted to study related courses up to the university level would go to.
I found out that many of our universities laid very little emphasis on technical education. With regard to the area of vocational education, the least said about it the better.
In order to consolidate the important role TVET plays in our socio-economic development and to become the industrialised nation that we all dream of, it is important to establish a university with the sole responsibility for TVET. Ghana needs a University of Technical and Vocational Education Training (UTVET).
Such a university is urgently needed to, among other things, produce quality manpower for education and industry, pursue research in technical and vocational education in Ghana and contribute to educational policy and development in general and TVET in particular.
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Why not use COLTEK
The College of Technology Education, Kumasi (COLTEK) of the University of Education, Winneba, could be considered for the proposed UTVET.
The institution has the potential to become the hub of TVET not only in Ghana but the entire West Africa.
From its humble beginnings as a Technical Teacher Training Centre of the Technical Division of the Ministry of Education in 1963, the school has developed steadily over the last 51 years to its present status.
In 1996, it became a constituent college of the University College of Education, Winneba and in 2004, by the University of Education , Winneba Act (ACT 672), it became the College of Technology Education, Kumasi.
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It is the only institution in Ghana which runs Bachelor of Science (BSc) degrees in Mechanical Technology Education, Automotive Technology Education, Electrical and Electronics Technology Education, Wood Technology Education, Construction Technology Education, Fashion Design and Textiles Education and Catering and Hospitality Education.
COLTEK is also the only institution which runs Masters in Technology (M Tech) in Mechanical Technology Education, Electrical and Electronics Technology Education, Wood Technology Education, Construction Technology Education, Fashion Design and Textiles Education and Catering and Hospitality Education.
The institution also runs a Master of Philosophy (M Phil) in Construction Technology and Wood Science and Technology.
It is the only institution in the entire West African sub-region which runs a PhD in Wood Science and Technology.
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The demand for the College’s programmes over the years indicates that there are many qualified applicants who wish to pursue further studies in the area of TVET.
This is evident in the fact that over the years, student enrolment into the college has steadily increased. Currently, the total student population in the college is about 12,000.
Due to the high demand for its programmes, the college is unable to admit about a third of the students who qualify and who seek admission to pursue programmes in the institution.
What needs to be done
The government must consider decoupling COLTEK from the University of Education, Winneba, expanding its facilities, and passing the necessary laws to back the establishment of the university.
COLTEK already has the facilities and the manpower.
It is in the process of constructing new lecture halls and workshops for TVET, and equipping and training more staff.
It has entered into an agreement with COTVET to put five teaching staff on PhD programmes every year and is also in the process of sponsoring brilliant students to acquire PhD programmes in their areas of specialisation every three years.
The institution is embarking on many other important moves to expand and make itself more relevant in the country’s forward march towards industrialisation.
All that is needed currently is for a new law decoupling the institution from the University of Education, Winneba, and establishing it as an independent university and the addition of a few more facilities .
As a university, perhaps COLTEK would be in a better position to make use of its favourable external environment to optimise its strengths and available strategic opportunities to expand and introduce more TVET programmes.
It could also attract high calibre teaching, administrative and professional staff on full time basis.
That way, the capacity of the institution to produce quality manpower for education and industry, to conduct research into technical and vocational education in Ghana, and to contribute to educational policy and development in general, and TVET in particular would be enhanced.
I challenge the government to be bold and establish a UTVET now using COLTEK.