General News of Wednesday, 1 May 2019
Source: Ghananewsaegency.org
2019-05-01
Miss Diana Asamoah
The Accra Technical University (ATU) has launched its 70th Anniversary towards celebrating the great achievements, over the years, of imparting technical knowledge to the citizens. It is on the theme: “70 Years of Innovative Education – A Path Towards Excellence.”
Professor Kwesi Yankah, the Minister of State in charge of Tertiary Education, who launched the Anniversary, said it was worth commending the University for its innovative technical education for the past seven decades.
He said Government expected the University leadership to continue on the progressive trajectory and become stronger as a strategic institution for the training of highly-skilled human resources.
Government acknowledged the enormous potential of technical and vocational education towards developing the human capital for national development, he said. Prof. Yankah said the Government had, hence, rolled out a roadmap for the implementation of a Five-Year Strategic Plan for the country’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), with the goal of transforming the labour force to create employment and enhance productivity. Prof Kwesi Yankah said in line with the national TVET agenda, Government had provided new facilities for 13 training institutions, which include the ATU under the Development of Skills for Industry Project (DSIP). Under the DSIP, the ATU had benefitted from a number of facilities at its new campus at Mpemhuasem, made up of building and construction workshop, electrical, electronic and automobile workshops, access roads, drainage, and sidewalks among many others. He said the University had come a long way but there was still more room for improvement in providing relevant, high-quality development of the competencies and skills of the country’s workforce, and assured it of government’s support. Prof. Edmund Ameko, the Acting Vice-Chancellor of the ATU, said the University had provided 70 years of innovative education as a TVET institution and urged it to stay on course in the years to come. A range of activities had been earmarked to mark the Anniversary from April to December, 2019.
He said the University was focused on preparing the youth to face the challenges of globalisation, technology, population growth, climate change, and unemployment, adding: “We must prepare the youth to be competitive in the dynamic technological environment of today’s world of work.”
Prof Ameko said in the years to come, the University would focus more on excellence in skills and entrepreneurship development; impactful applied research and technology transfer; and strategic partnership.
He said the University would also be focusing on operational excellence and customer satisfaction; high quality facilities and unique campus experience; and sustainable funding.
Prof Ralph Kingston Asabere, the Chairman of ATU’s Governing Council, said the University, which started in July 1949, with 15 students, could now boast of more than 13,000 students.
He said it had gone through phases of change after being established as a Technical School in 1949, commissioned as Technical Institute in 1957, renamed a Polytechnic in 1963, elevated to a tertiary institution in 1992 and finally converted to a University in 2016.
Prof Asabere said it was time for the country to adopt a paradigm shift towards investing immensely into TVET adding that it was fulfilling to note the country’s focus on the sector.
He said the University was glad that Cabinet had approved the amendment of legislations concerning the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training, National Training Institute and the National Board for Professional and Technical Examinations.
This, he said, would allow for the realignment of all technical and vocational institutions with the Ministry of Education.
