DRAFT TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND ...

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than 25% of Ghana’s youth reach proficiency levels for P6 English, and 10% attain
proficiency in P6 mathematics (MoESS, 2008, p. 16).
From the demand side, the quantity is overwhelming while the input quality is low. The basic
academic skills (literacy and numeracy) are the foundation for successful skill learning, and
deficits brought from the primary school through JHS to post-basic TVET create serious
problems for skill acquisition and the learning of related theory.
The supply side of the TVET sector consists of informal apprenticeship providers (individual
master craftsmen and women and the various trade and professional associations), and formal
public and private TVET training institutions. The informal aspect of the supply side (the
informal apprenticeship system is larger but has not been captured through systematic
documentation. The private ones may be for-profit or not-for-profit. As the private providers
register with different government ministries and bodies, their actual numbers are not certain.
Table 2.5 shows the main providers that constitute the supply side of formal TVET in Ghana,
as reported in the Education Sector Performance Report (MoESS, 2008). The figures for
private TVET do not reflect the true picture. Out of 700 questionnaires sent out by the
Education Management Information System (EMIS), only 273 (130 public and 143 private)
responded, meaning “there is much information that is not currently being captured” (MoESS,
2008, p. 131) especially on private TVET in the country. Also, the NVTI reported having
337 registered private vocational training institutes and 160 public ones (Personal
Communication, 27/11/08). There could be overlaps between the survey results obtained by
the EMIS and the registrations undertaken by the NVTI.
In general, the supply side of the TVET sector is weak due to decades of neglect and lack of
government support (UNESCO, 2003; Report of the President’s Committee on Review of
Education Reforms in Ghana, 2002). The weaknesses are numerous but the major ones are:
inadequate capacity of existing institutions; inadequate supply of consumable materials used
in training, obsolete training equipment; poor infrastructure; teaching staff who lack practical
skills and work experience; outdated textbooks and curricula; and weak links with industry.
The Education Sector Performance Report 2008 (MoESS, 2008) concluded that
“Infrastructure in TVET institutions continues to be poor with only 80% having functional
electricity.” In short, the supply side of the TVET sector is not able to cope with the demand
for skill training from learners and also produce the quality that industry needs – because of
infrastructural and resource constraints.
Table 2.5: Formal and Public (Non-tertiary) TVET Institutions, 2007/2008
Ownership/Location
Ministry of Education,
Science and Sports
Ministry of Manpower,
Youth and Employment
Ministry of Food and
Agriculture (MoFA)
Type of Institution
Number
2006/2007 2007/2008
GES Technical institutes 24 25
NVTI Centres 28 21
Integrated Community Centres for
31 35
Employable Skills (ICCES)
Social Welfare Centres 11 13
Leadership Training Institutes 7 9
Opportunities Industrialisation
Centre (OIC)
1 1
Community Development Centres 22 22
Agriculture Training Institutes (Farm
1 1
Institutes)