The Ministry of Education (MoE) has announced that some 186 Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions strategically positioned across the country have been added to the Free Senior High School (FSHS) programme, and have received placements for the 2021/2022 academic year.

The Coordinator, Free Senior High School (FSHS) programme, William Darkwah, indicated that all qualified candidates who chose to pursue TVET at any government-approved Senior High School (SHS), Senior High Technical School (SHTS) or any TVET institution will enjoy all the benefits of the FSHS initiative, starting this academic calendar year.

“We currently have 186 TVET institutions, fairly and strategically located across the country ready to run the Free TVET system up to National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI) Certificate II level,” he said.

He added that this new addition is confirmation of the huge investment made by government to the TVET sector since 2018, and a commitment to the continuation of the FSHS initiative.

A total of 571,892 candidates wrote the 2021/2022 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), after which 555,353 candidates qualified to pursue further education at the second cycle level. Out of the number who qualified, 367,811 were automatically placed in their school of choice, leaving only 187,542 to do self-placement.

The 187,542 are expected to follow the laid down processes to do the self-placement within the stipulated time before the system is shut down.

The coordinator therefore urged all parents to ensure that their children or wards who are interested in the TVET programme are encouraged to select among the 186 institutions nearest them when doing self-placement.

The areas of study for students in the TVET institutions include Agricultural Mechanisation Technology, Building Construction Technology, Auto Body Repairs, Architectural Draughting, Wood Construction Technology, Hospitality and Catering Management, Cosmetology, Electrical Engineering Technology, Electrical Machine Rewinding, General Textiles, Heavy Duty and Diesel Mechanics, Industrial Mechanics, Mechanical Engineering Craft Practice, and Motor Vehicle Engineering.

The other fields of study are Creative Art Technology, Plumbing and Gas Fitting Technology, Printing, Electronic Engineering, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Mechanics, Small Engines Repairs, Welding and Fabrication Technology, Information Technology, Computer Hardware Technology, among others.

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has again stated that it has trained several call centre staff to address school placement related issues for this year. “Training of GES call centre agents and technical staff was successful; staff are fully equipped to address all placement concerns this year.

The general public, particularly, students or parents who may encounter challenges checking the placement from Saturday can call the toll-free number 0302987654”, the GES stated.