Mr. Yaw Bimpeh, Ashanti Regional Representative of the Council of State, says technical education is critical to addressing the country’s alarming youth unemployment menace.
He noted that Youth unemployment in the country is alarming, and the only way we can deal with it is to prioritize technical education.
The occasion was when he embarked on a monitoring visit to the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) at the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Technical School, during which Mr. Bimpeh observed that prioritising technical and vocational training was the only sustainable way to tackle joblessness among the youth.
Mr. Bimpeh was accompanied by Engineer Richard Addo Gyamfi, Ashanti Regional Director of the Ghana Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Service and Mr. Muhammed Kamal, Principal of the School.
The visit is aimed at assessing the conduct of the examination and the challenges facing the school.
He expressed concern that many young people continue to chase non-existent white-collar jobs after school, while parents and guardians often remain unconcerned and stressed that it is long overdue for stakeholders and the Ghana Education Service, through the government, to mobilise resources to upgrade the various technical and vocational institutions and make the sector attractive to the youth.
Mr Bimpeh urged policymakers in the education sector to sensitize young people on the importance of technical education and to channel more resources into the sector. He commended the directors, staff, and management of technical institutions for helping to take “uncountable unemployed youth from the streets to become professionals, apprentices, masters of their own trades, and entrepreneurs.
The Council of State member also advised parents not to reject wards which are not academically strong, but to encourage them to enrol in technical institutions instead of leaving them to loiter and become a burden to society.
According to him, the perception that technical education is for those who are not academically good must be treated with the contempt it deserves.
Mr. Bimpeh observed that no matter how academically accomplished one is, whether a degree holder, doctorate or professor, it does not prevent them from becoming a plumber, carpenter, mason, or electrician.
Mr Muhammed Kamal, Principal of the school, thanked Mr Bimpeh for the visit and expressed optimism that it would draw the attention of policymakers to the school’s pressing challenges.
He disclosed that the school urgently needs furniture and dual desks, additional infrastructure, and a pickup vehicle to facilitate the movement and administrative work of the principal.
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