The Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition is calling on government to prioritise Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to enable many youths in the country to subscribe.

According to the NGO, this will ensure that the country’s educational system produces graduates who have the capacity to engage economic opportunities and participate in the prosperity agenda, leading to peace.

In a statement signed by its Chairman, Kofi Asare, on the International Day of Education, the organisation indicated there cannot be genuine peace in Ghana in the midst of poverty and despondency among the youth of the country.

“On this auspicious day, the International Day of Education 2020, the Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition wishes to remind government, civil society organizations, the development community and citizens to ensure there is a smooth progression from the lowest level up to the postgraduate level to assure of opportunities for career advancement in TVET,” the statement said.

Below is the full statement:

On this auspicious day, the International Day of Education 2020, the Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition wishes to remind government, civil society organizations, the development community and citizens that our commitment to providing quality pre basic, basic, secondary education to all Ghanaian children is incomplete if the education does not lead to economic prosperity, a pre requisite for peace. 

We recognize that youth unemployment [especially amongst tertiary graduates] remain a critical setback to shared economic prosperity in Ghana. As a nation, it is good we have agreed that Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET)  is the way to go in ensuring our educational system produces graduates who have the capacity to engage economic opportunities and participate in the prosperity agenda, leading to peace. This is because, in the midst of poverty and despondency, there cannot be genuine peace in our society.

We call on stakeholders, especially the Ministry of Education and Development Partners to:

1. Prioritize TVET by making it free up to tertiary level as a mean of encouraging the youth to subscribe. 

2. Ensure there is a smooth progression from the lowest level up to the post graduate level to assure of opportunities for career advancement in TVET.

3. Embark on a massive community outreach to change knowledge, attitudes and perceptions on TVET amongst parents and society in general.

4.  Strengthen career guidance systems at the basic level to encourage students to consider choosing TVET programs. 

5. Equip all TVET learning centers to ensure the quality of instruction and learning outcomes are consistent with the standards required by industry.