TVET is Trouble Shooting Permanent Secretary Avers
The Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education, Gilbert Cooper has informed Journalists that as an administrative head, they have realized that the higher education sector is stable but he continued that the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector is trouble shooting.
The PS made the submission yesterday at a well-attended press conference held at the Ministry’s conference room, New England Ville in Freetown.
‘’In fact that is why we are paying attention to it”, he told audience and mentioned that the conference aimed at looking at what has been done and what is currently happening in the TVET policy development. He said the TVET policy development program is a three years project aimed at improving and expediting acquisition of skills among young people and pointed out that there would be a validation exercise where experts from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and National Youth Commission (NAYCOM) will be invited to finalized the National TVET Youth Policy.
In his presentation, the Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Professor, Aiah Kpakima reiterated that it is their responsibility as a ministry to oversees activities of Universities, poly-techniques and TVET sectors and disputed the fact that there are lot of unemployed university graduates in many cities and towns because they are unskilled. “We want young people to be trained so that they cannot only be gainfully employed but they can also be able to survive and live an independent life”, he stated and emphasized on the ministry’s plan to develop a National TVET Policy which he said would be taken to Parliament for perusal before conveyed to Parliament for approval together with the private sector. He discussed that they have lot of TVET programs across the country and described the TVET program as demand driven as its need the robust participation and contribution of the private sector.
He said they have in possession twenty million dollar ($20M) support from World Bank for skill development and described the presence of large number of unemployed youths in the streets of Sierra Leone as a sensitive security issue.
He came to conclusion by reminding listeners that they are trying to fulfill the dream of His Excellency, Retired Brigadier Julius Maada Bio especially in the area of creating sustainable employment among young people.
By Abdulai Mento Kamara
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