Focus on TVET to address unemployment challenges – Prof Alnaa
The unemployment rate in the country can only be minimised if the government and other stakeholders give a serious consideration for the funding of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), the Vice Chancellor of the Bolgatanga Technical University (BTU), Professor Samuel Erasmus Alnaa, has observed.
Professor Alnaa who made the observation during the 10th congregation of the BTU held at the main campus in Sumbrungu in the Bolgatanga Municipality of the Upper East Region on Saturday, lamented that unlike the traditional universities which received tens of millions Ghana cedis from the Government, the technical universities mandated to focus on TVET that have the potential of addressing unemployment receive one million Ghanaeach annually.
“Last year each of the ten technical universities got just one million Ghana cedis. With all sincerity, MrChairman, what infrastructure project can a technical university undertake with this meagre amount? Iam aware that even the already endowed traditional universities get tens of millions Ghana cedis each, but we the technical universities should just manage with one million Ghana cedis each,” he lamented.
The Vice Chancellor further lamented that over the years the university had not been able to access its annual allocation from the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) for both faculty and infrastructure development, therefore bringing GETfund projects on campus to a standstill and making its hard for the university to refund school fees of staff on further studies.
While commending the government for fully funding the construction of a multi-purpose workshop by AVIC International, the Vice Chancellor reiterated the need for President Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo, toas a matter of urgency construct the much-awaited lecture theatre complex for the University to address the classroom infrastructure problem.
The Vice Chancellor announced that the University Council had approved the draft of the 10-year-strategic document to be launched, and also hinted that plans were far advanced to run master degree programmes in the University’s niche area: Agriculture and others, including Mining Engineering, processing engineering and welding.
The Chairman of the Governing Council of the University, Professor Francis A. Abantanga, admonished the graduates to utilise the technical knowledge acquired from the training, particularly in the area of entrepreneurship to set up their own enterprises and to employ others.
The School Alumni led by one of its leaders, Mr Stanley Abopam, gave out cash donations and citations to 17 graduands who distinguished themselves in their respective areas of study.
The University conferred bachelor of technology Degrees, Higher National Diploma and Professional Diplomas to deserving graduands of the 2021 cohort.
In all, 441 graduands graduated, out of which 69 received bachelors of Technology degrees.
FROM SAMUEL AKAPULE, SUMBRUNGU
