The High Commissioner of Singapore and the Ambassador of Mexico to Ghana, Dileep NAIR and Maria de los ARRIOLA AGUIRRE, yesterday paid their respective courtesy calls on the Deputy Minister of Education in charge of Tertiary Education, Samuel Okudjeto Ablakwa, to introduce themselves and discuss bilateral issues that would further strengthen the already existing cordial relations between their countries and Ghana.
His Excellency Dileep NAIR, who was the first to call, said he was Singapore’s High Commissioner to Ghana but resident in that country, and had travelled to Ghana for the first time to introduce himself and to explore the possibility of a long-term collaboration with Ghana in many areas but specifically in technical and vocational training and education.
He observed that the major problem with many developing countries was about people completing their education and having no work to do, adding that every education system should be able to produce enough human resource with skills that could get them employment.
According to the Singaporean High Commissioner to Ghana, technical and vocational training and education should be embodied in the education system with the involvement of industry from the onset.
Taking his turn, Samuel Okudjeto Ablakwa told his guest that his visit was at an opportune time for Ghana to learn from the experiences of Singapore in the technical and vocational areas of their education system.
He noted that under the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET), Ghana had attracted a lot of international support and had made strides in skills development.
In a submission, the Executive Director of COTVET, Mr Sebastian Deh, explained the functions of the council to the High Commissioner and his entourage, and said they basically focus on accreditation and regulation for competency-based training.
The Chief Director of the ministry, Mr Enock Cobinnah, said the ministry will explore areas of collaboration with Singapore, especially in the teaching and learning of Mathematics and Science.
In the second development, the Ambassador of Mexico to Ghana, Maria de los Angeles ARRIOLA AGUIRRE, said she had come to further discuss with the ministry issues regarding co-operation between Mexico’s National Autonomous University (UNAM) and the Ghana National Commission for UNESCO in the frame of the International Year of Light (IYL2015).
Additionally, the call was to further develop an agenda of meetings between Ghana’s delegation and a high level Mexican government officials during the IYL2015 closing ceremony in MERIDA, Mexico, from February 4 to 6, 2016.
She also discussed the possibility of establishing a Museum of Light in Ghana, as well as bilateral projects in the area of higher education and research.
Responding, Samuel Ablakwa said Ghana was looking forward with enthusiasm to partnering Mexico in all the issues raised, especially in the areas of higher education, research, exchange programmes, as well as the teaching and learning of the Spanish language in both Ghana and Mexico.
He observed that there would be the need for a draft memorandum of understanding (MOU) to be discussed by both sides before it could be signed at the Mexico event in February.
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