VOCATIONAL TECHNICAL SKILLS A DRIVING FORCE FOR A COUNTRIES DEVELOPMENT

Ghana (Africa) is a developing country/continent that needs technical and vocational minds to help push Ghana to the lime light, is about time parents remove the idea that children who are academically poor are the ones that should be allowed to go to vocational and technical institutes to learn skills such as Catering, head dressing, Tailoring, Welding, Carpentry, Auto mechanic (fitting, Masonry, Plumbing etc, but rather should access the capabilities and interests of their kids before they place them through higher education school.

Ghana's (Africa's) Education should be structured in a way that will add practical skills to a person so that persons can be creative and Ghana (Arica) must desist from the too much theory based education, which only helps individuals to write with pens but can't do anything practical.

If Ghana (Africa) had more skilled trained personnel's, who can produce enough food and meat to feed it, who can solve engineering (expert that will control mines, oil fields, build first class roads and buildings etc) and mathematically and Technically solve problems confronting Ghana (Africa), Ghana (Africa) will speed up on its growth.

Vocational and technical training is very necessary in our society because, without caterers good foods cannot be served in the restaurants, without Tailors and seamstresses we couldn't have worn good sewed clothes, without hairdressers ladies wouldn't have looked beautiful in hair styles, without welders our homes and offices could not have been protected with barristers and metal fence gates and aluminum window frames, without Mechanics our cars would not have been repaired if broken down, without carpenters we couldn't have gotten furniture in our homes and offices to sit or sleep on. So Vocational and technical Skills is very important in every society who wishes to develop.

Ghana (African) government/s and the society is not placing much emphasis on vocational and Technical training which is the only break through for us to develop and succeed like other countries/continents ,We have left it for the less privileged that don't get admission into the prestigious Universities and Tertiary institutions in Ghana(Africa) which is totally wrong.

We can have all the 'book long' Economists, Accountants, on paper Engineers, On paper Agriculturists etc. without practical hands that will make things happen on the ground We can never develop as a country/ continent.

I know there are few people who are making nice handy works but have nobody to support them to showcase their talent. This article will be meaningless if I don't cite UNIJAY Fashion as an example because I have had the opportunity to listen to her story, she trained from the road side as a seamstress and never had the opportunity to have formal education, but she rose through all the odds to became one of the household names in Ghana as a fashioner, whose works include sowing for most politicians in the country, school uniforms for schools, sportswear for sportsmen etc and Her husband a former bank manager resigned from his post and now manages her administrative works, one thing I like about her is her doors are always opened to young girls who are interested in seamstress and tailoring.

Her favorite speeches include though I was not educated formally, but I am committed to support formal education as well as vocational and technical education, and I also have a tall list of graduates on my pay roll who help me in other aspects of my work.

I believe if government/s will divert some of its attention to develop the Vocational and Technical centers seriously in the next Ten years Ghana/ Africa should be able to feed its self, wear its nice tailored clothes, mine its own gold and drill its own oils, build its own first class roads and buildings etc.

I also believe if emphasis is placed on Vocational and Technical training people will buy more made in Ghana (Africa) products such as clothes, food, furniture, foot wears etc because the ones we buy from outside are all made by persons with skills or vocational or Technical training which was harnessed and all these will help grow the country/continent economically since patronage of made in Ghana (Africa) goods will put money in people's pockets and the nation/continent as a whole as well us curbing vast unemployment situations.

In conclusion a Nation/Continent who totally import all its consumables goods, Technical services including common tooth pick and matches from other continents will never stopped be controlled from behind the seens by imperialists and exploiters.

God Bless Ghana!! God bless Africa!!

Kwaku A Darpah (a.k.a Jah son)
Black African conscious writer
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