The Africa Education Watch has lauded the government for launching the Ghana Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Service, an initiative aimed at giving a facelift to TVET education in the country.

The TVET Service, which is expected to be the backbone for the country's industrialisation drive, will offer a wide range of programmes that will harness career pathways for the Ghanaian youth, Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia has said.

Speaking at the launch of the Service at the Accra Technical Training Centre (ATTC) on Tuesday, December 14, Dr. Bawumia indicated that henceforth, all the TVET institutions will operate under one umbrella to yield a significant boost to the sector.

The Eduwatch has supported these reforms, acknowledging that it will provide "opportunities for a much more harmonised governance and improved management and delivery of TVET service which is key to ensuring the successful implementation of the Government of Ghana’s Free TVET Programme."

In a press statement issued on Wednesday, the Organisation stated that the launch of the Service is timely, as it will enhance efficiency and accountability in TVET delivery.

"Eduwatch commends the Government of Ghana for launching the Ghana TVET Service, a body responsible for managing the delivery of TVET in the country, as mandated by the Pre-Tertiary Education Act."

"The setting up of the TVET Service will harmonize and strengthen the governance, management and delivery of TVET in Ghana, a departure from the previous arrangement where over 200 TVET institutions were scattered under various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, creating an amorphous and incongruous governance system which affected effectiveness, efficiency and accountability in TVET service delivery," part of the statement explained.

Eduwatch urged the government to make all relevant materials available to ensure the full operationalisation of the Ghana TVET Service.

"It is our expectation that the transitional arrangements, institutional governance systems, logistics, human and financial resources required to fully operationalise the Ghana TVET Service at the national and regional levels are prioritised to ensure a successful TVET reform in Ghana."

TVET second-cycle institute

The Vice-President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia hinted at the government’s intention to establish the first-ever second cycle TVET Applied Technology High School in the country.

He noted that the establishment of the School is in tandem with the government’s mission to make Ghana’s TVET centres one of the best in sub-Saharan Africa.

According to him, this would play a significant role in promoting the government’s TVET agenda.

“We’re going to establish the first-ever second cycle TVET Applied Technology High School across the country. The programmes to be offered at the Applied Technology High School will be designed as career-based technical education which integrates career and technical education with a rigorous academic core and industry participation,” he said.

The industry participation bit of the TVET Applied Technology High School, "will drive demand for students who graduate from there," he indicated.