MARGINALISATION OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION

Technical Education can be explained as a deliberate attempt to developing the mind to acquire practical knowledge or skills in industrial and scientific acumen. This explanation sharply denotes the relationship that exists between education and socio-economic development. To some, technical education and its immediate benefits of acquisition of knowledge serve as the connective tissue that bind society together for any appreciable development society wishes to attain.Technical Education plays a vital role in human resource development of the country by creating skilled manpower, enhancing industrial productivity and improving the quality of life. This covers courses and programmes in Engineering, Management, Architecture, Town planning, Pharmacy, and Applied Arts and Crafts, Hotel Management, catering etc. Students under these categories learn about the process and knowledge related to technology which covers the human ability to shape and change the physical world to meet the needs, by manipulating materials and tools with technologies.

It is therefore worrying and indeed an aberration of the normal to see how people who should have known better play down on technical education. It is no surprise to witness, in this part of the world that development in any facet has eluded us. One can mention that we are still attached to our cultural roots. But I must be quick to say that 'Technically' we have lost everything that essentially made us unique in the past. In the words of a priest, 'we tend to major in minor and minor in major things'. In short, we have dislodged our sense of priority and focus as regards Technical Education. I now want to attempt an exhumation of the long forgotten importance of Technical education. My attempt will, however, not be exhaustive as sequel to this, there shall be attempts to straighten the rough edges and to add meaning to my discourse on this subject.

In the first place, our technical institutions, the bastion of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) both at the secondary and tertiary levels, have produced a countless number of Technicians who are self and wage employed who could career to the middle level needs in the field of technical knowledge. Such middle technical know-how was necessary for a country to undertake relevant developments. TVET has emerged as one of the most effective human resource development strategies that Africa Countries need to embrace in order to train and modernise their technical workforce for rapid industrialization and national development.

It was against this backdrop that technical institutions as well as polytechnics were established as an emerging centre of excellence in the area of technological education in the country so that all students who pass through the relevant areas at technical schools could enhance their competencies at the polytechnics level to prepare them for jobs that are based on manual or practical activities. This can be contrasted with declarative knowledge, as used in education in a usual broader scientific field, which might concentrate on theory and abstract conceptual knowledge, characteristic of Tertiary Education.

Technical Education, like the University Education, should become integral aspect of the development process in the country. It is only an institution of this nature, with varied products of highly skilled labour can respond to the labour market demand in the country. In other words, what the industry needs has to be produced. In Singapore for instance, the employment prospect for graduates of polytechnics are so good that many talented students seek entry into the vocational-oriented polytechnics rather than regular academic programme conducted by the universities.

In Australia Technical and Vocational Education and training is mostly post secondary and provided through the vocational educational and training (VET) system by registered training organizations. This system encompasses both public and private provider in training national framework consisting of the Australia Quality Training Framework which define the assessment standard for the different vocational qualifications. Constitutionally, Technical and Vocational training is the responsibility of the states and territories of Australia. Accordingly, states and territories provide the majority of public funding and deliver the majority of training. Until recently, each state and territory has also operated a state based regulatory body. However, a central concept of the Australian system is “national recognition” where by the assessments and award of any one registered training organization must be recognized by all others and the decisions of any state or territory training authority must be recognized by the other states and territories. This allow national portability of qualifications and unit of competency for the enhancement of technical education delivery which has been left at the periphery of formal education though the country has on its agenda since 1919 to make technical and female education the basis of it development as contained in a statement made by Professor Dr. James Flolu, Rector, UEW-College of Technology Education in Kumasi, on May 30.

Contrary, technical graduates in Ghana are frustrated by employers placing them wrongly with inappropriate salary and job levels. Some employers discriminate against technical and vocational graduates, whiles some educational institutions did not accept qualification from graduates of technical and vocational institutions. As a result of erroneous perception by the public concerning technical graduates, everybody want to go to “secondary” school and to the University yet we want to enjoy electricity, we want water to flow through our taps, we want our telephones to work constantly, we want quality internet services, the question is where will the technicians who are in the majority in the industries, come from to provide these services. Without technicians and vocational skills workers, the nation's development would come to a standstill. “The Currency for innovation in the economy is Technology as they say”

According to Mr. Asamoah Duodu, the immediate past Director, Technical and Vocational Education Division of the Ghana Education Service, on speech read on his behalf at the 20th anniversary and 15th graduation of the SOS-HGVTC in Tema on the 26th July, 2008 underscore the need for vocational and Technical training institutions to be given equal attention to boost the interest of students. He noted that more emphasis has been placed on university education in that “our system basically aimed at seeing only those who end at the university as worthy of being adequately rewarded. At the award ceremony for 50 Technical and Vocational Education and training (TVET) instructors from three technical and vocational institutes at Ramseyer Vocational and Technical institute (RVTI) at Kyirapatre in Kumasi, Mr. Duodu reiterated that the quality of Technical delivery in Ghana at all levels was not encouraging. As a result, graduates turned out with skills and knowledge that do not meet the relevant current needs of industry. This is basically as a result of the technical institutions being relegated to the background.

Similarly, Mr Kingsley Koranteng Asiedu the West Africa Regional Representative of City and Guilds of London, one of the leading world's vocational and Technical awarding organizations in Accra on monday 31st May, 2010 reminded the government to pay more attention to Technical and Vocational education to guarantee the needed economic growth and development in Ghana. It is sad to note that as a nation, we do not have any qualification credit framework to map Technical awards to academic awards.

Research has shown that graduates from Technical and Vocational schools actively engaged in problems solving in the working environment; have employment opportunities which offer greater responsibilities, learn new work skills to meet requirement in an ever changing work place, increase job stability and skills transfer ability. In order for Technical and Vocational education to effectively support industrialization, economic growth, wealth creation and poverty eradication, skills training must be of high quality and competency based, incorporate the use of modern information and communication technologies, be relevant to the needs of industry, efficient and adaptable to the changing technological work environment.

Beyond this point, there should be a focus on building more technical and vocational centres to promote technical education among the people so as to keep balance among different fields according to the requirement of markets.

On January 6, 2010, Mr. Alex Tetteh-Enyo, the then minister of Education admitted at the meet-the-press that present measures that underpinned government's commitment to promote science and Technology in Education included the improvement of technical and vocational education, rehabilitation of science laboratories in senior high school, and development of appropriate curriculum to instil innovation and creativity in the application of scientific knowledge. He also noted that as a country, Ghana needs the technical man- power to drive industry and therefore encouraged parents and public to sensitize JHS and SHS graduate, to develop interest in technical and vocation education. Mr Alex Tetteh-Enyo advised students to take advantage of the current technological dispensation and enrol into Technical and vocation institution to develop their skills and knowledge to help in the country development. These and many others affirm the assertion that Technical and Vocational and polytechnics education play significant role were technicians collect and analyze field data for effective decision making. It is, therefore, incongruous to my thinking to observe that our comrades in the fraternity of 'T' square holders are almost and always relegated to the background. The Mainstream (traditional education) has become reserve of the academically strong. Students are only pushed into our Technical Institutions when all other 'prestigious' avenues have not graced their quest for secondary education.

However, a few brilliant ones who decide to pursue Technical education and by dint of their hard work rose through polytechnics with final certificates such as EET III, MVT III, CTC III etc are only not advised but for their own interest to write SSSCE/WASSCE before they get admission into the University (KNUST), and even start from level 100 when they are able to meet the requirement. It is only in Ghana where HND holders and Technicians from Polytechnics are allowed to join SSSCE/WASSCE students for a four-year programme leading to the award of Bachelor Degree when the basic entry requirements of the two institutions (University and Polytechnic) are virtually the same. It is quite recently that technicians and HND holders from polytechnic were allowed to do a 2 years top- up programme leading to the award of Bachelor Degree at the Universities whipping up interest in the study at the polytechnics.

It is high time brilliant students were encouraged to take up Technical courses so as to save the nation millions of dollars lost each year through the employment of expatriate Technical men. It was therefore heart warming for previous and the current governments to have initiated moves to place emphasis of Technical education to review our Technical education reform which has done more harm than good but all to no avail, without any apology to the past and current politicians who bit more than they can chew. Government and businesses should increasingly invest in the future of vocation and technical education through publicly funded training organizations and subsidised apprenticeship or traineeship initiative for businesses so that the labor market becomes more specialized for higher levels of skill demand in the economy. Government must also institute policies that stimulate the economy and growth high performance enterprises that demand highly-skilled labour and consequently create opportunities for further technical education and training at a higher level in virtuous circle of sustained industrial growth and increasing demand for higher quality technical workforce.

Historically, the school curriculum has been skewed towards the empowerment of mainstream (traditional education) to the detriment of Technical Education. Hither-to, the curriculum Research and Development Division of the Ghana Education Service had not embraced on strategies to integrate course subjects such as English language, Mathematics, Integrated Science, Social Studies etc. into technical examination that can provide access and a level play ground to compete with their counterparts at the other side. As a result, many students who graduated from technical institutions and managed to write the WASSCE decided to abandon their technical programmes and switched camp to pursue the general programme rendering all their credentials useless and 'hotchpotch'.

The TVET policy framework for the provision of good foundation in English, Mathematics, Science and Social studies to improve the quality of skills acquisition for linkages and offer a common method of assessment and certification in line of development if it is to be sustained to provide a platform to exploit other opportunities in pursuance of education as pertained in the general education was as a result of agitation coupled with frustration by The Association of Principals of Technical Institutions (APTI) and other stakeholders for a higher level of technical education of students in technical institutions with the National Board for Professional and Technical Examination (NABPTEX) as the examining body.

Despite this provision, these students still live in a constant apprehension as most tend to write the WASSCE in addition to forestall any future embarrassment as happened to their predecessors. I have the full optimism that the first batch of students under this new development who completed May/July, 2011 would not be frustrated and allowed to do one-year access or bridging course but will be treated fairly in the bid to pursue relevant programmes at the higher level of institutions

I will not hesitate to advise and encourage my young colleagues to work assiduously and remain focus to propel to the level they have been propounded to and that effective and tactful measures would also be put in place to curb the Technical education from further doldrums.

Thank you.
KINGSLEY APRAKU.
Building Technology Department,
Kumasi Polytechnic.
(apraku1967@yahoo.com)

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