Accra, October 26, 2017//-Humanities, otherwise known as arts, still dominate in admissions to the newly christened technical universities, one year after their conversion, which is contrary to the recommendation made by the technical committee that worked on the conversion.
The committee was clear in its report, that a future technical university should offer study programmes that are vocationally-oriented or career focused, with emphasis on engineering, technology, but not humanities.
It went ahead to say that technical universities should support existing and emerging productive sectors of the economy with technical expertise and applied research.
However, one year after the polytechnics were successfully converted into technical universities, students offering Business and Management Studies account for more than 50 percent in the enrolment figures for the 2017/18 academic year.
For instance, the Takoradi Technical University gave admission to 3,714 students, out of which 1,372 are pursuing Business and Management Studies, representing 51 percent of the total enrolments.
Only 596 applicants were admitted into the Faculty of Applied Arts and Technology, whilst 963 are into the Engineering programme. Some 622 others have been admitted into the Applied Sciences and 156 for the Building and Natural Environment programme.
The situation is similar at the Accra Technical University, where fresh students of the School of Business and Management Studies form 55 percent of admissions, whilst those in the Schools of Engineering and Applied Sciences account for 18 percent and 27 percent respectively.
Available statistics show that before the conversion of the polytechnics to technical universities, about 60percent of the students were enrolled in business and management programmes, although the majority of the courses on offer are in the field of science and technology.
The situation, experts have argued, does not promote the development of skilled technical human resource for the country.
According to some stakeholders, the problem of students not showing interest in the field of science and engineering should be tackled from the basic level of education to make sure that students develop the interest at an early stage.
Prof Edmund Ameko, the acting Vice Chancellor of the Accra Technical University, told the B&FT that for the situation to change, the love for mathematics and science would have to be inculcated in pupils at the basic level of education.
“Enthusiasm for science is low at the basic and secondary levels, so we need to start promoting the study of science at that level and there will be enough of them to feel the technical universities,” he said.
Mrs. Ursula Owusu Ekuful, Minister of Communication, during the 16th graduation ceremony of the Accra Technical University, said it is high time the negative perception about technical education is corrected, since the country needs skilled personnel to accelerate its development.
She said government had put in place important initiatives to ensure that the decision to focus on TVET did not become the lip service that had been paid over the years.
For the “one factory per District’ agenda to excel, she said government will reinforce and increase access to technical and vocational institutions.
The Ministry of Education has said each of the eight polytechnics converted so far will be given US$2.25million to facilitate the conversion process.
A budget has been made, since the policy was announced, to build infrastructure, laboratories and academic facilities, to ensure quality technical education training in the country.
Government has also entered into a contract with a US company called Amatrol to install ultra-modern equipment in all the technical universities.
B&FT
