Emeritus Professor Ernest Aryeetey, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana has called for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Ghana to be properly structured, warning that poorly implemented TVET risks achieving nothing.
Speaking on The Point of View on Channel One TV on Monday, October 20, 2025, Prof. Aryeetey said TVET has tremendous potential, but political interference and poorly conceived reforms have undermined its effectiveness.
“TVET—properly structured—is a good idea. When you do TVET for the wrong reasons, as I have seen in this country, it can lead to nowhere. TVET is important, but let’s do it properly. If we want to do it properly, there are people in this country who can show us how to do it instead of making it political. Many of our reforms in education have been politically motivated; that is why we’re not getting the results,” he said.
He urged policymakers to follow evidence-based approaches and involve experts who understand how to make TVET effective, ensuring that vocational education actually prepares students for the workforce rather than serving political agendas.
Meanwhile, the former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana warned that Ghana’s current education reforms are making the system worse instead of better.
Prof. Aryeetey said many of the so-called reforms focus on minor, superficial changes that fail to address the core challenges facing the sector.
“Most of my time in education has been spent fighting these types of micro-level reforms that simply worsen the situation. There is enough research being done, not only in Ghana but across Africa, that shows the type of education you can provide at the basic, Junior High, and Senior High levels that produces productive, versatile students. They don’t need a University Degree to be able to do things. But we’ve built a system that funnels everyone into universities. It is wrong, and it will always be wrong,” he said.
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