The University Teachers Association of Ghana at the College of Technology Education (UTAG-COLTEK) has called on government to accent to the Akenten-Appiah Mensah University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurship Development Bill within the shortest possible time.

This will give executive power it deserves to execute the complete conversion of the Kumasi and Mampong campuses of the University of Education into full-fledged autonomous universities.

Chairman of UTAG-COTEK, Dr Stephen Baffour Adjei, is positive this will inure to government’s industrialisation agenda drive.

“We know that this bill is very dear to the heart of the President, however, UTAG-COLTEK would like to, respectfully, appeal to the President Akufo-Addo, to exercise his constitutional obligation by appending his signature to the AKenten-Appiah Menkah University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development Bill to give it the executive power it deserves to enter into full force within the shortest possible time,” he said.

Progress

December last year, the president announced in Kumasi that plans were far advanced to convert the Kumasi and Mampong campuses of the University of Education into a full fledge autonomous institutions under the name, University of Skills And Entrepreneurial Development.

Nana Akufo-Addo said that the decision to make College of Technology Education (COLTECH) and College of Agriculture (CAGRIC) autonomous institutions is part of his government’s agenda to transform technical and vocational education and training and education in Ghana.

Early this year, parliament passed the Akenten Appiah Menkah University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development Bill.

Members of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) of the Ghana, College of Technology Education, Kumasi (COLTEK), says the move demonstrates government’s commitment towards the development of technical and vocation education (TVET) Ghana.

“This historic step taken by the government of Ghana to highlight the relevance of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to national development.”

Dr Baffour Adjei says there will be continuous innovative and transformational curricula within the context of competency-based training, learner-centered and problem-based learning techniques that are practical and relevant to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), and in line with the Ghana harmonized Competency-Based Training pedagogy.

Partnership with Artisans

The College of Technology Education has also revealed its partnership with the artisans at Suame Magazine and other areas to bolster their skills with modern technology.

The objective is to help the artisans refine their operations by giving them practical skills on modern ways of doing things and also train them to become complete entrepreneurs.

Dr Baffour Adjei says, “We are deploying our expertise to the artisans to be very competent in the things they do so they will be able to refine their operations with modern technology. Which is trying to foster an important link between industry and university.”

The bill is very critical because there is perception when you attend a technical school.

He says the institution is deploying its professional expertise to fulfill the mandate of our new University in terms of fostering the necessary links between the University, industry and the community in order to ensure the holistic training of TVET teachers and instructors at all levels of education.