Gov’t to give Technical and Vocational Education and Training a major boost

12-12-2010 Narration: Government in its policy intervention of investing in people to achieve the Better Ghana Agenda, has put in place measures to give Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) the needed push in order to prepare students adequately for the job market and also assist them to establish their own business enterprises. Government is this regard, will partner the private sector to ensure a massive increase in access to facilities for computer technology in the teaching and learning process at all level in the coming year. Vice President, John Dramani Mahama, gave the assurance at the climax of the Golden Jubilee Celebration of Notre Dame Seminary and Senior High School at Navrongo in the Upper East Region. The event was on the theme: “The Citadel of Quality Education in Northern Ghana: The Way Forward” Correspondent Isaac Asare witnessed the occasion and has come through with this report for Radio Ghana.
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Report

In attendance were various dignitaries including chiefs, government officials, and directors of education, catholic missionaries, and founding fathers of the school as well as the entire student body among other academicians. The Minister of Education, Alex Tetteh- Enyo who spoke on behalf of the Vice President, Mr. John Dramani Mahama, commended staff and students of Notre Dame Senior High school for contributing its quota in the provision of affordable access to quality education to the youth particularly brilliant but needy students and for also maintaining its high standard of discipline, which he said forms the key foundation to achieving academic excellence. He however pledged government commitment in addressing all the infrastructural needs of the school to create a congenial atmosphere for effective teaching and learning. He said government in its effort to providing quality and affordable education for all is collaborating with the private sector to give ICT education a major boost for the purpose of skill acquisition particularly for technical and vocational institutions and called on relevant stakeholders to partner government to bring about the change for accelerated development. Mr. Tetteh Enyo also expressed government’s desire to making girl child education a reality, hence the need for their empowerment. He later on behalf of the Vice President pledged to provide the school with a bus and a pick up. The Upper East Regional Minister, Mark Woyongo who is a product of the school, reiterated government’s determination to restructure and revamp the educational sector to meet the manpower requirements of the nation with focus being the implementation of an education strategic plan. The plan, he noted, identifies new areas for acceleration, effectiveness and efficiency in the delivery of education in the country. It also seeks to address the challenges in management structure and content of education. On the part of teacher motivation, Mr. Woyongo said government is working tirelessly to ensure that salaries of teachers are competitive and comparable with other professionals and urged them to exercise restraints since their grievances are well taken note by the government. Mr. Woyongo commended the academic performance of the school over the years and charge management and staff of the school to maintain discipline at all times and ensure that students do no not engage in acts of vandalism. The Rector of the school, Rev. Fr Francis Kudelogo praised the consistent ascendancy in the quality of academic performance stressing that the school since its establishment in 1960 has produce high calibre of academicians locally and internationally and attributed the success story to the efforts of the Catholic Church and other stakeholders including the chiefs and community members. Awards in the form of citations were later given to co-operate personalities and individuals for their meritorious services to humanity through the school. The Regional Minister, Mark Woyongo, the MP for Navrongo, Kofi Adda and the Missionaries of Africa were among the 10 awardees at the function.