TVET to be free from January 2022 - Director-General

The Government will, from January next year, absorb the tuition fee of all new entrants to Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) schools in the country.

Consequently, all the 186 TVET schools would be available on the Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) to provide a strong base for the successful implementation of the entire TVET services.

The government’s intervention would provide access to all students who desire skilled training in efforts to promote entrepreneurship among the youth.

Mrs Mawusi Nudekor Awity, the Director-General of TVET, announced this at the ninth graduation ceremony of the Vocational Training and Rehabilitation Institute (VTRI) at Biriwa.

The ceremony was on the theme: "Quality TVET for Nation Building: The Role of TVET Providers in Ghana".

In all VRTI Biriwa graduated 270 trainees, consisting of 179 males and 92 females, who were trained in catering services, Carpentry and Joinery, Leather Works, Dressmaking, Building and Construction, Motor Vehicle Mechanic, Welding and Fabrication, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, General Electricals and Computer Hardware Servicing.

The intervention, Mrs Awity, said would kindle a new drive, send a perceptible signal of a vociferous drive to redirect the attention of education to the TVET space.

The Director-General reiterated the policy would establish the Government’s unflinching commitment to reducing unemployment to the barest minimum.

On her vision for TVET, she desired to have a service that owned quality data on all aspects of TVET in Ghana and data-driven policies to match the evolving demands of the diverse demographics of young people in the country.

“The dawn of a new beginning has arrived and we have been offered an opportunity to correct mistakes, re-write the TVET story in the country,” she said.

Mrs Awity entreated parents, instructors and management to put in their utmost best to produce the top quality trainees that would fit the growing economy.

She called on TVET providers to unite and push harder to build a strong vibrant end vociferous TVET service.

The Director-General charged them to preach the new paradigm of TVET in the country and strive for excellence and prove to others that the shift was not just a change in name and physical infrastructure but a palpable revolution in policy direction and implementation.

She reiterated that the recent focus on the need to revamp TVET posed a huge burden on strategically positioning the service to be the benchmark of quality service delivery.

In achieving objectives and setting higher targets, Mrs Awity said a substantial investment, brand positioning to gain a competitive advantage over the other public institutions, and frequent stakeholder and media engagement were needed.

She charged the graduates to bring in a fresh breath of energy and a renewed commitment to breaking the frontiers of TVET across the World.

The graduates showcased their hand-made designed dresses, bags, beads and artefacts to entertain parents and guests at the ceremony.