The Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Adutwum has reiterated the government’s commitment to making Ghana the hub of Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET) in Africa.

According to the minister, various interventions by the government through the provision of infrastructure, equipment and the reformations in the country’s technical institutions from the senior high technical schools to the technical universities is an attestation of the government’s quest to build a strong economy based on TVET.

Addressing a gathering at the 17th Congregation for the Bachelor of Technology (BTech) of the Koforidua Technical University, Dr Yaw Adutwum in a virtual recorded address said the government has outlined a strategic plan to help promote TVET in Ghana.

“We have aligned all public TVET institutions, and placed them under the Ministry of Education. A five-year TVET strategic plan has been developed as part of the reform of TVET. Koforidua Technical University like other Technical Universities has gotten its share of infrastructural projects.”

Dr Adutwum added that “Government as part of enhancing capacity in conducting scientific research in the tertiary institutions has increased the research allowance by 200 percent, the student loan has also been increased by 50 percent to support students in the tertiary schools and this is an attestation of our commitment as a government towards science and research.”

“I will take this opportunity to commend the university authorities for the implementation of new programmes over the years and I will urge you the graduands to use their skills judiciously to enhance development in every area you find yourselves.”

On his part, the Vice-Chancellor of Koforidua Technical University (KTU), Professor David Kofi Essumang appealed to the government to assist the university by constructing new hostel facilities to address the residential challenges faced by students.

“The increasing number of student’s population has been an issue of concern to management. Out of about 7,000 students, less than 10 percent can be accommodated on campus at the only GETFund hostel. More than two-thirds of students reside in private rented facilities within the immediate community which are in close proximity to the campus.”

He added that the sanitation conditions of some of the private residents rented by some students could expose them to health hazards; hence the need for government to aid the university in the construction of hostel facilities to address the challenge.

The 17th Congregation for the Bachelor of Technology (BTech) saw 391 students graduated.

Forty-one obtained a first-class honour, 206 and 142 obtained second class upper and second class lower respectively, while two others obtained a pass.