A lecturer with the Department of Integrated Social Science at the University of Media Arts and Communication – Ghana Institute of Journalism, Isaac Kwame Nti Ofori, has called on the Ministry of Education to put up monotechnics to aid the country’s quest for an economic rebound.
Monotechnics are educational institutions that teach a single technical subject to better prepare graduates for the job market and lower the high dependency ratio.
Such an initiative, he said, will give dedicated attention in training people to specialize in a specific area, adding that the era of “Jack of all trades, master of none” is long gone.
Benefits
In an interview with the Daily Statesman at Dworwulu over the weekend, Mr. Ofori stated that the benefits of monotechnics are enormous considering the various areas of specializations that distinguish graduates of such institutions from their contemporaries.
According to him, an institution where a specific technical subject is taught cannot be compared to other institutions of learning.
He opined that if the current economic challenges can be addressed to relieve the populace of their current predicament, then it is imperative for the country to have a look at the various prospects in monotechnic education.
“I believe difficult times demand straightforward panaceas. One of the ways to achieve our aim of reducing the hardship on the citizenry is to leverage the benefits of monotechnics that we have not used over the years. Building more monotechnic institutions in the country will enable the nation to reach enviable heights within the shortest possible time”, he explained.
Employment
He maintained that the issues of graduates’ unemployment that remain an albatross around the necks of past and successive governments will be relegated.
Mr Ofori expressed worry at the rate at which graduates form associations all in an attempt to discredit the positive impact of the government of the day.
He indicated that: “when you get to an institution to specifically be trained in fixing, say, BMWs, that becomes your specific area of specialization. According to him, a professional BMW mechanic wouldn’t have issues with the vehicle and its operations.”
“With a specific area of study in a monotechnic, Ghana stands the chance to have an unprecedented economic rebound. We will become the next nation with specialized technical experts in automobiles, housing, calving, electrical systems, and more. That is what we need as a nation considering the pace at which other nations are advancing in terms of leveraging the importance of this all-important institution”, he explained.
Mr Ofori further noted that issues of theft that often characterize the unemployed youth of the nation would be brought to the barest minimum when monotechnics are fully equipped to produce 21st-century electrical engineers, automobile engineers, carpenters, joineries, seamstresses, and tailors, among others.
