Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has announced that President John Mahama, through the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFUND) will allocate GHC100 million in the 2027 budget as seed capital to the ten Technical Universities to foster growth.
He said the Ghana Tertiary Education Council had also recognised the ten Technical Universities as full-fledged Technical Universities.
Also, the Jomoro College of Education would also be worked on in 2027 to provide teacher training education for the people within the Nzema land and beyond.
Mr. Haruna Iddrisu was speaking at the Fourth Applied Research Conference of Technical Universities in Ghana at the Takoradi Technical University on Tuesday.
The conference is on the theme: “Advancing TVET for Innovation, Technology Transfer and Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Development.”
He spoke about the President’s commitment to technical education and Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to drive the future of the country.
He said: “Our enduring legacy is a dedicated TVET fund, where 10 percent allocation from the GETFUND would go into fund to run the most pressing needs of training in the area and two percent of oil revenue into technical education financing.”
The Minster said the training must however, aligned with industry needs for development and tasked the Vice Chancellors to find answers to the industry academia gap.
Mr. Joseph Nelson, the Western Regional Minister, noted that the government placed high premium on education.
He commended vice chancellors and their teams for the successful organisation of the conference, and called for meaningful dialogue among academia, development partners to explore practical solutions for contemporary development.
He said:” Nations are prioritising TVET and Ghana cannot be left out.”
Mr. Nelson spoke about the Western Region’s resource-richness and need for research to promote real industry and community wellbeing.
He urged students and researchers to remain innovative, focused and committed to excellence.
He pledged support of the Regional Coordinating Council to research efforts.
Dr. Stephen Wayoe, the Chief Executive Officer of Wayoe Engineering and Chair of the Fourth Applied Research Conference of Technical Universities in Ghana, urged the country to see Technical Universities as agents of transformation.
Using himself as an example, he recounted how his education at the Takoradi Technical University has transformed him into a global icon.
Dr. Wayoe hammered on closed collaboration, sustainable infrastructure, advanced skills and entrepreneurship, global partnerships since Technical Universities were indeed inseparable from development.
Professor John Frank Eshun, the Host Vice Chancellor described the conference as an intellectually enriching event to take TVET to the next level.
The UNESCO, he noted, attached greater attention to TVET as a catalyst to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and the urgent need to reposition TVET as catalyst for sustainable development.
Professor Eshun spoke about the amended Acts which also allowed career progression.
He said the Conference would both “highlight impact and tell stories, be a platform for discussion, innovation and technological transfer pushing practical solutions.”
GNA
