Skill Stories from Students: Vocational Education in Africa

This guest article by Braimah Shakira gives us a perspective on Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Africa by talking to some of the African students. Shakira is from Ghana, West Africa, currently studying Business Administration at St Mary’s College, Hyderabad under a full-time scholarship from the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). 

Africa, the second largest and second most populous continent in the world has an area of about 11.7 million square miles and comprises about 55 independent countries.

A land blessed with mineral resources such as gold, diamond bauxite, oil and other valuable human resources attracting the universe. Archaeologists and scientists believe that Africa is the cradle for civilization. They invented writing (Egyptian hieroglyphs), made significant contributions in the areas of science, engineering, fine arts, and medicine and even built the great pyramids, an architectural achievement which still baffles man. Yet, the inhabitants of this great land have been labelled as the world’s poorest, economically disadvantaged, and are marred by violence and corruption.

What caused the world’s influential and historic civilization to fall drastically?

There’s no doubt that Africa has fallen behind despite its historical achievements and abilities in science, medicine and architecture. I conducted a series of interviews from across the diaspora and they all felt education is the backbone to Africa’s development and not just education but vocational education and training across the regions of Africa.

The primary requirement of the youth is to get quality education in order to become responsible citizens tomorrow. They need skills to be able to meet the country’s economic demand. In my opinion, “people without education are like a phone without a battery”. Braimah Shakira

Education is crucial for the socio- economic development of any country. Immediately after birth, education is naturally disseminated to children.The lack of education can lead to making incorrect choices in life. This shows the significance of education in young adults to help them realize their potentials. They need quality education coupled with favourable conditions to build their skills, be an asset to their society as well as contribute to national development. Universally speaking, education is recognised as a fundamental need for development. The youth can be easily misled due to lack of education whereas if they are educated they can make informed and balanced decisions.

It is the Government’s responsibility to provide opportunities to the youth where they can acquire and develop problem solving skills and steer the national towards progress.