Technical Universities: Misdirected Enthusiasm

I knew we were going to have a renaming ceremony of some educational institutions in the country. When the news first came, it sounded like one of the old jokes the government usually cracked. I am referring to the ongoing renaming of our Polytechnics as Technical Universities.

At least two questions popped up in my mind at the hearing of this news. The first is whether the change of name is what we really need and the second had to do with the positive effect this renaming would bring.

I am not surprised because this is a country in which the remedy for every failed institution is a change of name and not structural transformation. We have seen and experienced this several times in the past so some of us are not surprised that the tradition goes on.

For instance, the primary, middle and secondary schools changed names to junior and senior secondary schools. This was to give a practical meaning to education. Whether the objective had been achieved or not should not be a matter of any serious debate because ever since these changes were introduced, the educational system has become rugged and uncertain.

The President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. John Dramani Mahama appears to be enthusiastic about changing the face of education in Ghana. He however appears to be pursuing the passion from the wrong angle.

In the 1970s, Prof. Okonjo a population studies expert proposed that if the existing structures from basic through to the tertiary education could be maximised, illiteracy would be wiped out in no time. This view is true and still relevant today. As a matter of fact, all and sundry in the educational sector have come to accept this. Of course, many other educationists and experts have conducted researches that support this claim.

So, it is deadly wrong on the part of the president to act in a way that suggests that the mere change of name of our polytechnics to technical universities is the remedy for transforming our technical education system and making them achieve the core objective for which they were established.

I am by this article questioning the rationale behind such a seemingly improper venture. In the United States, Canada and other developed nations, there exist polytechnics which are aimed at offering quality technical education to students. This is possible because of the structural transformation of these institutions. The same, unfortunately, cannot be said of Ghana.

We need structural reforms that can assist students to become innovative. We need to gear our energy towards providing quality technical education and skills training to students of these polytechnics so they can become job-creators instead of job-seekers.

That is why there is the need to question the rationale behind a mere change of name. If the passion of the president is being directed towards creating the impression of lifting the face of the polytechnics up when in reality, the kind of education that goes on there does not reflect the core objectives of polytechnic education, then he must take a second look at this action. However, if the change of name will result in equal structural reforms, all well and good because after all, that is what we need as a country.

There should be no politicking of educational issues in our country. Our rationale behind the policies and changes we effect in our educational system must be genuine and not be a political exercise to boost the confidence of voters and also to prepare Ghanaians towards the upcoming elections.

In this twenty-first century, technical education must be geared towards equipping students with entrepreneurial skills: creating jobs to help themselves and the country. This can be done if we expand and restructure existing polytechnics, get qualified teachers to teach in these schools and offering students enough skills training to prepare them for the job market.

The government's passion must be directed towards training the minds of our students and empowering them to compete globally.

A proper technical education in my view, therefore, should aim at transforming our polytechnics to meet the demands of the 21st century.

I expect to see stories about polytechnics being restructured, equipped and expanded. But a mere change of name from polytechnics to technical universities is not only a case of giving an old donkey a new name but also an unfortunate venture and a misdirected enthusiasm.