UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST

COLLEGE OF DISTANCE EDUCATION

THE ROLE OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION IN THE ECONOMIC

DEVELOPMENT IN ABOANTEM LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA

ANITA ASAMOAH

BEP/AS/01/18/0573

2020
 ABSTARCT

The purpose of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is to equip

people with the technical and professional skills needed for socio-economic and industrial

development of the country. The emphasis is on training people for self-employment. The

study examined vocational education’s contribution to Economic development in the

aboantem local government in the Bosomtwe district of Ghana. It was discovered

Technical and vocational training contributed positively to national revenue mobilization

through expanded tax net. As more individuals are trained and absorbed into the job

market, the number of employees eligible for tax payment increases. All else held constant,

as more people are attracted to tax payment, Government’s total revenue from tax would

increase. In turn, successful execution and completion of government-sponsored projects

would be enhanced. It was recommended the Council for Technical and Vocational

Education and Training must develop mechanisms to effectively educate the general public

on the importance of technical and vocational education and training in the Ghanaian

context; and its significant contribution to national development. It was also recommended

Intensive education and campaigns by COTVET would improve existing students’

appreciation for the profession; and attract new entrants. Similarly, individuals in the

informal sector would be encouraged considerably, if the economic and social benefits of

engaging in technical and vocational training are effectively explained to them.

 INTRODUCTION

Background of the study

According to Fagerlind and Saha, 1989, Education is mostly viewed as crucial for

rapid economic development, and essential if we wish to increase the productivity of the

poor by reducing fertility and providing people with the skills they have to participate

fully within the economy and in society. The main challenge within the world today is to

search out pathways of living and dealing sustainably, in order that the reasonable needs

and desires of individuals from all walks of life and all told countries are often satisfied.

vocational training is one amongst the cross-cutting issues worldwide. vocational skills-

based education is one in all the stress of the current situation facing crisis on job market.

skills are vital for poverty reduction, economic recovery and eventually will help for

sustainability development. The importance of Technical and Vocational Education and

Training (TVET) in nation building cannot be over emphasized. Indeed, technical and

vocational education is a major agent for industrial development as well as for social

progress of any country. Without skilled technical manpower produced by the

polytechnics, technical and vocational institutes for industry, commerce and agriculture,

national development would virtually grind to a standstill (Budu-Smith, 2005).

In Ghana, the case for education, especially Technical and Vocational Education

and Training (TVET), is overwhelming both in terms of fulfilling human security and as

an investment with very high returns. According to Nsiah-Gyabaah (2009), ‘there has

never really been any argument over the link between education and development

because education helps to build national capacity to apply science and technology to

social and economic problems. Education is a fundamental human right and it is

necessary for socio-economic development of society. It is a means to the fulfilment of

an individual and the transfer of values from one generation to the next. According Nsiah-

Gyabaah (2009) to Technical and Vocational Education and Training is a fundamental

element in the development equation because it allows individuals and societies to unlock

their potentials, expand their horizons and adapt to the changes in the dynamic world.

Basically, the purpose of technical and vocational education is to equip young men and

women with the technical and professional skills needed for socio-economic

development of the country. The emphasis is on training people for self-employment.

The Government has, in recent times, given renewed recognition to the TVET sub-

sectored and has identified it as one of its priorities for addressing poverty alleviation. It

has accordingly highlighted TVET in its Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategic (GPRS)

document in that regard. The Government also recognizes the strengthening of TVET as

a means of developing the technical and skilled human resource base which Ghana needs

urgently as a key strategy for rapid economic growth and for realizing the Ghana vision

2020 plan. In line with this realization, one of the basic philosophies and orientation of

Ghana’s vision 2020 plan is to reform all Technical/ Vocational Education system to

make it more responsive to the national goals and aspirations as well as local and global

demands. Indeed, an improved TVET system will promote manufacturing, construction

technology, agro-based industry and commerce. To achieve the said objective, requires a

policy framework and direction as well as a radical shift in the design and delivery of the

TVET curriculum at all levels especially at the Polytechnic level (Budu-Smith, 2003). It

is in this regard that Competency Based Training (CBT) has been introduced and

emphasized in recent TVET education especially at the Polytechnic level. This change of
focus of training is based on the fact that it is the trained technical manpower in the

advanced countries which has served as catalyst for industries in their economies.

Statement of the Problem

Vocational education has traditionally been seen as of lower value and held in lower

esteem than academic education. This is largely because the work opportunities they

present are technical rather than professional and associated with lower income levels

(Korsah,2013). Economic success depends on the availability of skills developed at

different levels (low, lower- and upper-intermediate and high both in general and

vocational education (Korsah,2013). In countries where the effect of VET on productivity

is stronger – i.e. those with a tradition of apprenticeship in VET (Denmark, Germany, and

the Netherlands) – various types of qualification, general and vocational, obtained at

various levels, appear to complement each other (Korsah,2013). Upper-intermediate

vocational skills also have a positive impact on labour productivity when vocational skills

are broadly defined to include those acquired through employer-provided continuing

training. Again, the effect on productivity is stronger in countries where the apprenticeship

system is common. In the remaining countries higher academic skills tend to be more

important for reinforced by skills acquired through continuing training at work. This study

therefore seeks to examine how vocational education contributes to Economic

development in the aboantem local government in the Bosomtwe district of Ghana. The

Bosomtwe District is one of the twenty-seven (27) districts in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.

Its capital is Kuntanase. The district was formed after the Atwima Kwanwoma District was

taken out of the former Bosomtwe/Atwima/Kwanwoma District. This was itself carved

from the former Ejisu/Juaben/Bosomtwe District. Bosomtwe District contains Lake

Bosomtwe, one of the largest natural lakes in the world, and the lake resort is a popular

tourist destination.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to examine the role of vocational education in the

economic development in aboantem local government area.

Specifically, the study will highlight on the importance of Vocational Education

and its economic contributions to development of aboantem local government in the

Bosomtwe district of Ghana

Significance of the Study

The findings would ultimately be of help to researchers, non-governmental

organizations as well as other agencies including Vocational educational designing,

developing and implementing training programmes to make them more Attractive. The

findings would also be beneficial to stakeholders like Government of Ghana.

Delimitation

Alam (2008) conducted a study on the role of technical and vocational education in

the national development of Bangladesh. She limited his scope to at Bangladesh.

Limitation

Alam (2008) conducted a study on the role of technical and vocational education in

the national development of Bangladesh and due to this I reviewed his work. Since I will

not gather and evaluate data, I will not be able to establish problems she faced in 2008

moreover my findings cannot be presented since it will not match with her data analysis.
Organisation of the Study

The entire study was organized into sections. Section one was the introduction

which consisted of the background to the study, statement of the problem, purpose of the

study, research questions, significance of the study, limitation, delimitation and

organization of the study. Section two was the literature review. Section three contained

results and discussions, the summary, conclusion and recommendation

Definition of Terms

COTVET – Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training

GDP – Gross Domestic Product

GES – Ghana Education Services

GNP – Gross Domestic Product

GOG – Government of Ghana

NTVI – National Technical and Vocational Institutes

TVE – Technical and Vocational Education

TVI – Technical and Vocational Institutes

TVET – Technical and Vocational Education and Training

UNESCO – United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

 LITERATURE REVIEW

Vocational Studies in Ghana

Vocational studies were officially integrated into the Ghanaian education system

in 1921, according to Amu, Offei-Ansah and Amissah (2015), and is credited to the then

headmistress of Accra Government School, Rubby Quartey Papafio. An informal training

began prior to this period in 1821, when Mrs. Harriet Javis, a wife of one of the merchant

officers, began teaching African girls sewing to help the girls become good servants of

their white mistresses and to prepare the girls to be good wives. This school collapsed

after six years and in 1840, the first girls’ school Wesley Girls High School was

established by Mrs. Wriggley, wife of a Methodist Priest in 1886 to teach domestic

science. After the death of Mrs. Wriggley, Mrs. Wardron took over the running of the

school. The Basel mission also established a girl’s school at Aburi where cooking, sewing,

mending and housekeeping were taught. Laundry work was later introduced into the

formal school system in 1921 by Ruby Quartey Papa-fio the then headmistress of Accra

Girls School, and cookery was added later. The Governor was impressed about the keen

interest of the girls in education and so donated firewood stove upon an appeal made by

the headmistress after the first dish, boiled cassava was cooked on a three stone fire stove

under a tree. He also provided a building for teaching the subject. Housewifery, mother-

craft and child welfare were added and then domestic science became an examinable

subject for the Middle School Leaving Certificate Examination in 1931. At the Secondary

School level, Achimota school became the first to introduce Domestic Science into the

curriculum, and Domestic Science, was first examined in 1933. As more schools taught

Domestic Science, diploma training programme was introduced at the Specialist Training
College at Abetifi. The trainees, after four years study were awarded Diploma in Home

Science Certificate by the University of Ghana. The specialist programme was

discontinued in 1963 and the name Housecraft was changed to Vocational Science

because science was applied to solve problems in the home. The four-year programme

was changed to a three-year course. Throughout all these stages, the emphasis of the

programme was on females since all the courses offered and their contents were

traditionally female oriented. (Amu et. al., 2015). A four-year degree programme was

introduced into the University of Ghana alongside a diploma in Home Science Extension

between 1960 and 1967. In 1977, University of Cape Coast offered one-year programme

for teachers with Diploma in Home Economics from Winneba. In October, 1987, a four

year Bachelor of Education (Home Economics) programme was started with one student

who had trained at the Specialist Training College. In 1994/95 a Master’s Degree

programme in Vocational Technical Education was introduced. The University College

of Education Winneba was established in 1992 to train teachers with diploma certificate

in a two-year post diploma programme. Today, Vocational Studies is known as Home

Economics in S.H.S., University of Cape Coast and University of Education Winneba.

However, the Home Science Department at the University of Ghana has been changed to

Family and Consumer Sciences based on the model adopted by the university. Heneritta

(1980) regarded the family ecosystem as a core of Home Economics. According to Parker

(1980), the Home Economists view the family as a major source of nurturance, protection

and renewal for the individuals.

Role of Vocational Education in The Economic Development

TVET is considered by many nations as an important catalyst in the development

of a country, but curiously Ghana like many other developing countries does not invest in

it to an appreciable degree. In Ghana, the technical and vocational institutions in general

still face a lot of challenges such as poor infrastructure and outdated materials and

curriculums, and many others. These challenges which have seemed to be going on for a

long period of time has in one way or the other negatively affected the smooth development

of the country. Other countries like Japan and China developed partly because of their good

educational system, in particular TVET Morris (2010) argues that the provision of a large-

scale program of technical and vocational education has been a central element in long-

term planning in the period following early industrialization of South Korea and Taiwan.

From my analysis on the different articles that have been published on technical and

vocational education by different authors such as Morris (2010), countries such as Japan

that have achieved middle-income and even high-income are those countries that have

given special and focused attention in technical and vocational institutions. According to

Alam (2007), human capital theory has powerful influence on the analysis of labor market.

Alam notes that investment in education and training produces benefit both to the

individual and to society as a whole. The return on investment for society will be a skilled

workforce that will enable global competitiveness and economic growth, while the return

of the individual will be a better career path, increased earning and a better quality of life.

According to Fagerlind and Shah (1989) the concept of ‘human capital’ suggests

that education and training raises the productivity of workers, and increases their lifetime
earning capacity. According to Alam (2007), governments perceive increased demands

for skills when the labor supply shows rapid growth, when employment grows quickly, or

when employment increases significantly. They argue that governments have called upon

vocational education and training (VET) systems to help unemployed young people and

older workers get jobs, reduce the burden on higher education, attract foreign investment

ensure rapid growth of earnings and employment, and reduce the inequality of earnings

between the rich and the poor. But Tilak (1998) argue that TVE provides a lower rate of

return (ROR) than general education. However, Bennell (1996) rebuts this, arguing that

even if TVE students are less ‘academically brilliant’, the ROR for TVE is still high. Colin

(1999) suggests that TVE not only prepares skilled labor but also provides general

education to the students. Foster also (1965) aggressively criticizes that vocational school

is a fallacy in development planning, and points out that vocational education can be

effective if the acquired skills are utilized properly. Colin (1999) likewise says that TVE

can play vital role for development planning, but he warns that if the policy makers do not

make it up‐to‐date, and TVE schools do not have enough qualified teaching faculty and

sufficient facilities to offer quality TVE, it will not be useful. He also claims that these are

not limitations of TVE per se, but limitations of the educational policy of the country.

Bennell (1996) says that though TVE has been a powerful influence in development

planning; indiscriminately offering TVE may have negative impact on development.

Arriagada and Ziderman (1992) criticize TVE, saying does not pay an appropriate role in

development and claim that the higher investment needed for TVE does not seems to be

compensated for by high return. However his definition of TVE can explain a good

significant role of TVE in development: “Vocationalization refers to effort by school to

include in their curriculum those practical subjects which are likely to generate among the

students some basic knowledge, skills and dispositions that might prepare them to think

becoming skilled worker or to enter other manual occupations”. Lewin (1993, p. 14) claims

that TVE seems to allow us to “kill several birds with the same stone.” Akyeampong

(2002) points out that TVE in national educational system not only for its economic

contribution but also for its cultural, social and political contribution.

International Labor Organization (ILO) (2001) claims that TVE is intended as a

bold and courageous step to undertake, with the changing scenario for economic life by

developing human capital.

From the discussions above, it seems clear that from the economic, social and

political standpoint, national development requires education which is intended to meet a

range of different national needs. These include those associated with building an

appropriate workforce, and stronger economy, as well a cohesive, literate and healthy

society.

Economical freedom and social freedom are interrelated; one cannot thrive without

the others. Alam (2007) says that without economical growth, social freedom cannot be

achieved. Therefore, the purpose of education is to provide adequate knowledge to the

local community to cope with the professions, and that education will also provide social

value, so that people can achieve two developmental things. Moreover, if education

programs offered do not provide employment, parents will perceive that investment in

education as not worthwhile, because their children do not achieve anything promising for

their future as a result of their schooling. Under circumstances where there is no effective

enforcement of law to makes primary and secondary schooling compulsory, the number of
school‐going people will likely decrease. Though this decline might not initially hurt the

employment market since there are few job opportunities in Bangladesh, it will impact in

terms of social development predominantly in the health and other sensitive sectors through

a drop in general literacy and it will hamper future economic growth.

Conclusion

The purpose of this study is to examine the role of vocational education in the

economic development. It was discovered Technical and vocational training contributed

positively to national revenue mobilization through expanded tax net. As more individuals

are trained and absorbed into the job market, the number of employees eligible for tax

payment increases. All else held constant, as more people are attracted to tax payment,

Government’s total revenue from tax would increase. In turn, successful execution and

completion of government-sponsored projects would be enhanced.

Recommendations

The Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training must develop

mechanisms to effectively educate the general public on the importance of technical and

vocational education and training in the Ghanaian context; and its significant contribution

to national development.

The education would clear erroneous impressions held by a section of Ghanaians

about technical and vocational education and training. Intensive education and campaigns

by COTVET would improve existing students’ appreciation for the profession; and attract

new entrants. Similarly, individuals in the informal sector would be encouraged

considerably, if the economic and social benefits of engaging in technical and vocational

training are effectively explained to them.

 REFERENCES

Akyempong, A.K. (2002). Vocationalization on secondary education in Ghana.

Washington, DC: World Bank.

Alam, G.M. (2003). The impact of students’ involvement in party politics on higher

education and national development in Bangladesh. Dhaka: Bangladesh.

Arriagada, A., & Ziderman, J. (1992). Vocational Secondary Schooling, occupational

choices and earnings in Brazil. Washington DC: World Bank.

Bennell, P. (1996). General versus vocational secondary education in developing Country:

A review of rates of return evidence. The Journal of Development Studies, 33(2),

230‐247.

Budu-Smith, J. (2005). The Need for Polytechnics to Assert and Create a Niche for

Themselves among Tertiary Institutions in Human Resource Development: J.

Polytech. Ghana. 1:1.

Colin, N.P. (1999). Technical and vocational education for the twenty first century.

Prospect, 29(1), 29‐36

Fagerlind, I., & Saha, L.J. (1989). Education and national development: A comparative

perspective. Oxford, UK: Pergamon.

International Labor Organization (ILO). (1993). Job descriptions in garments industries.

Dhaka, Bangladesh: ILO.

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technical and vocational education ‐ 2001. Retrieved 21 March 2004 from

www.ilo.org/public/english/employment/skills/recomm/instr/unesco_3.htm
Morris, P. (1996). Asia's Four Little Tigers: A comparison of the Role of Education in the

Development. Comparative Education, 1-17.

Nsiah-Gyabaah, K. (2009). The Change to Competency-Based Education in order to Match

Labour Market Needs: J. Polytech. Ghana, 2:2.

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