The Future of Education

It is believed that education is the engine for growth and development and can solve myriad of challenges such as unemployment. The importance of education reflects in the Sustainable Development Goal 4 which is on Quality Education. The goal cannot be achieved if steps are not taken to pay more attention to Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET). In Ghana, schools under TVET are generally perceived to be neglected and admit students who could not enter Senior High Schools (SHS). Again, the attention given to TVET schools as in recognition and infrastructure is incomparable to SHS making it unattractive. The study found that there are not clear frameworks for entry into universities for TVET graduates hence much emphasis is placed on SHS during school selection application processes into second cycle. In some cases, the quality of teaching of common subjects such as English, Mathematics and Home Economics subjects are not the same though the standards are expected to be at par. The mixed study was based on expert interviews, survey and participant observations by authors who have been in the field of education for more than 10 years. The authors argue that since TVET schools bring on board practical and hands-on education, a country like Ghana should focus more on that so that the country can move from being a consumer to a research and producing country. Strengthening TVET schools will also cause shift in paradigm where more young people go into the humanities which offer them white collar jobs rather than adding an entrepreneurship/job creation perspectives after their education. It was recommended that the current selection processes of Junior High School applicants into the Second Cycle be reviewed to give TVET schools equal places like SHSs. Again, it was also recommended that TVET should be seriously considered to help produce manpower for key sectors of the economy (such as science and technology) that can create and export jobs and increase the life of people through research, entrepreneurship and production.

Keywords: Entrepreneurship, Technical and Vocational Education Training, TVET, Senior High School, SHS;