Ghana: We need engineering and technically minded people for transformation
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has stated that the country needs more engineering and technically minded people for economic transformation.
He said all plans, hopes and expectations for a brighter future would only become a reality if government could guarantee an educative and skilled work force.
President Akufo-Addo said this when he delivered his fourth State of the Nation Address (SoNA), on the floor of Parliament in Accra.
He said Government was trying to move the conversation to Technical, Vocational and Educational Training (TVET), so that it would become a distinctive choice for children in school.
“We are moving the conversation to ensure that even when an institution is designated as a technical institution, it delivers technical courses,” and applauded Ghanaian teachers for being supportive of the many changes that were being introduced to make the hopes a reality.
President Akufo-Addo, said the priority given to education in the national budget, was an indication of government’s commitment towards the development of the human resources for the expected transformation.
He said it was also a manifesto commitment to leverage technology to popularise the teaching and learning of Mathematics, by making it friendly to all students.
The emphasis, he explained, was to aggressively promote Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education across all levels of the education systems.
He said in the rest of the world, the conversation was about how to build laboratories and workshops, making children Information and Communication Technology (ICT) competent, and transforming them into technically minded and mathematics loving students.
He cited the Pre-tertiary Education Bill currently before Parliament, explaining that basic education was being redefined to include; Senior High School (SHS), and this covered Vocational, Agricultural and Technical skills.
“I am aware that some of the Teacher Unions have concerns over the proposed legislation,” but he encouraged them to deepen their engagements with the Ministry of Education, to build a consensus for the effective passage of the Bill.
