On Tuesday, April 18, 2023, the Management of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), led by Mr. Joseph Denteh, the Deputy Administrator, received a visit from the Ghana National Union of Technical Students (GNUTS), under the direction of the Coordinating Secretary, Mr. Mohammed Musah Koasi.
The coordinator of the Ghana National Union of Technical Students, Mr. Mohammed, stated that the visit was made in order to forge a working relationship between the union and the GETFund management, specify the functions of GETFund in supporting universities and TVET institutions, improve policies regarding on-campus housing, pinpoint the roles GNUTS can play in advocating for GETFund, and, finally, accept an invitation to speak as a guest speaker for some of the Union’s programs.
The rights and interests of the students must be upheld and serviced, he continued, adding that GETFund has done well by giving facilities to the majority of technical universities and institutes nationwide.
Due to the high demand and the distance of the majority of the students, Mr. Matthew Akwasi Aboagye, the GNUTS Treasurer, appealed to the management to assist in the construction of a residence for Accra Technical University. The majority of them have been forced to stay in private hostels, which are also significantly more expensive. He reiterated that the charity does not provide as many scholarships for technical universities and asked why.
The GNUTS Women’s Commissioner, Miss Abigail Asor Asante, also discussed the issue of the lack of a hostel facility at Dr. Hilla Limann Technical University and the detrimental effects it has on the institution. The majority of the students reside quite far from the campus, which prohibits them from attending the school, she continued, and as a result, DHLTU is underpopulated.
“GNUTS will hold its first central committee meeting at the DHLTU in May, but due to a lack of on-campus housing, the union is compelled to utilize what little money it has to book hotels, which will be quite expensive for the union. If the GETFund hostel had been accessible, the costs would not have been as high, according to Miss Asor, who pleaded with the GETFund management to support the union.
The Research and Education Officer, Miss Sarah Kwaa, raised the concern of a shortage of facilities and equipment in the various second and tertiary (technical) universities. She said that as a result, the majority of lecturers and professors focus more on theories in the classroom than actual practical work. “The students have only a limited understanding of the use of the equipment when sent to the job field because of the lack of equipment and facilities that the various technical universities do not have,” stated Miss Sarah. She emphasized that more facilities, equipment/tools, and hands-on experience are necessary for TVET to advance, which is why she is pleading with the GETFund.
She addressed the subject of lodging (GETFund hostel) at the Bolgatanga Technical University by finishing with her contribution.
The GNUTS Public Relations Officer, Mr. Christian Akwasi Agyei, expressed his concerns last and mentioned the GETFund scholarship as something that both he and the rest of the student body at the various technical universities were interested in. “I just can’t talk about this issue where students from Technical Universities do not get scholarships as expected and instead those who attend traditional universities; kindly let us know if there are any reasons?” he said. The majority of Technical University students always apply, however, only five percent (5%) will be chosen out of the total applications. Mr. Christian further urged management to graciously take technical universities into account while providing vehicles, particularly the lengthy buses for the senior high schools. Since technical universities also take instructional excursions as well as educational tours and engage in other activities, we (T.Us) should gain from this as well. Mr. Christian also addressed the issue of accommodation (GETFund hostel) at the Cape Coast Technical University. He concluded by commending the management and requesting that they maintain their dedication and commitment to promoting TVET through the various facilities constructed throughout the nation.
The National Executive Committee’s concerns were all warmly welcomed by Mr. Joseph Denteh, the Deputy Administrator, who then asked specific officers in charge of the GETFund management to address each concern raised.
According to Mr. Alexis Kwabena Asuinura, the trust’s financial controller, there are presently no plans for the trust to develop any hostels for the remaining institutions because of their weak financial ability and financial strength. However, they can help by setting up a Private Partnership Project, where the school would be required to give the site and the private investors would be required to construct and run the project until the project’s investment is recovered. NEC was then instructed to consider it and reply later. Mr. Alexis went on to say that the trust had succeeded in helping students at T.U.s like Takoradi Technical University, Kumasi Technical University, Koforidua Technical University, Ho Technical University, and Tamale Technical University explore their course options by donating and installing cutting-edge equipment. He reiterated that the capping, which, to be honest, has greatly damaged them, is one of the reasons why the trust is unable to achieve some of its goals. In response to the worries, he added that since technical university programs tend to focus more on the humanities, donors are less likely to want to support them. He suggested that going forward, if GNUTS could promote and instead make the T.Us’ programs comprise seventy percent (70%) technical content and thirty percent (30%) humanities content, then it might genuinely establish that the T.Us are on course and are, therefore, supporting TVET. He explained that the trust does not acquire cash for the institutions; rather, it distributes them in response to their requests. He continued, “Since most of them are reading humanities programs, I think going future performance basis should be examined before providing out any financial help to the institutions.
The officer in charge of scholarships, Madam Felida, also addressed the concern expressed over the matter of scholarships. There are approximately fifty thousand (50,000) applicants, according to her, but they cannot select or offer the scholarship to everyone because qualifications must be taken into account. Additionally, because there are insufficient finances to support all candidates, only those who meet the requirements are awarded the scholarship. She continued by saying that because the majority of T.U.S. candidates fall short of the required grade point average, they are not awarded the scholarship. When merit-based selection is applied, the majority of traditional university students earn higher awards than T.U. applicants because they have higher marks, such as grade A.
Madam Naana Nsafoah Sarpong, the officer in charge of legal and administrative matters for the trust, asked NEC to help the government promote TVET since NEC members are the leaders of the technical universities and institutes. “By so doing, those in the technical field should encourage parents to also send their wards to the technical institutes to make them fall in love with TVET. This will help increase the workload and also decrease the level of unemployment in the country since the technical professionals are bosses on their own and will not depend on the government for employment”, she added.
Mr. Joseph Denteh, the meeting’s chairman and the Trust’s deputy administrator, concluded the proceedings by noting that the Trust’s projects are of such astounding quality because the current administration has taken TVET so seriously. Five TVET centres exist in the nation, two already completed and three still under construction. The TVET Centers in Anyinam and Pekyim are completed. In addition to that, the trust has completed or is currently working on more projects. As a result, the Trust is meticulous about supporting TVET. Other locations for projects include funding for educational infrastructure, funding from the Ministry of Education and its agencies, funding from government policies and programs, and funding from scholar and capacity-building initiatives. He finished by urging NEC to continue the outstanding work they have already begun and leave a legacy. The Trust will continue to assist technical education in every way it can.
Written and published by;
Christian Akwasi Agyei
The GNUTS Public Relations Officer
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