Imagine a Ghana where every student, regardless of their academic inclination, finds a path to success. Since the 1970s, Ghana has been on a mission to integrate Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) into basic and secondary education. While progress has been made, a stubborn perception lingers: TVET is only for those who struggle academically. To counter this misconception and highlight the opportunities TVET offers, enhancing career guidance has become essential.
The Youth Employment and Skills Chapter of the Pan African Coalition for Transformation (YES-PACT), an initiative by the Africa Center for Economic Transformation (ACET) in collaboration with Youth Opportunity and Transformation in Africa (YOTA), has provided valuable insights into the current state of guidance and counseling in Ghana’s TVET sector. Based on extensive research and stakeholder engagements, YES-PACT has collaborated with the Ministry of Education to develop a draft Guidance and Counseling Policy.
This comprehensive draft policy aims to address gaps in the education system caused by inadequate guidance and counseling services in basic schools and TVET institutions. Its objectives include enhancing academic and career guidance, improving mental health and well-being, and fostering students’ overall personal development. Additionally, the policy seeks to ensure that students and parents recognize the educational and career opportunities that TVET offers, ultimately changing the prevailing perception of TVET and highlighting its potential for personal and professional growth.
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The policy represents a comprehensive strategy to reshape the future of TVET in Ghana. By addressing the critical need for career guidance and counseling, it will undoubtedly empower students to make informed decisions about their educational and career paths, ultimately contributing to the country’s economic transformation. The successful implementation of this policy will not only benefit students but also strengthen the overall education system, making TVET a more attractive and viable option for all.
YES-PACT operates as an extensive knowledge-sharing network across seven African countries – Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Ethiopia, Niger, Rwanda, and Senegal- bringing together key stakeholders involved in policy development and implementation on issues of youth employment, gender, education, and the labor market. It aims at enabling countries to respond effectively to rising youth unemployment rates and to address the skills mismatch problem through its main objectives; Establishing and growing networks, knowledge sharing, and policy uptake.
