Technical Education:

Educationist laments sub-standard HTTTC graduates

By Kehdinga Fabris in Bamenda

The principal of Government Technical High School( GTHS) Bamenda Seka Gamsi Samuel (Shufai Nsulong) has called on government to stop creating  more technical colleges in the country and concentrate on equipping the existing ones.The principal  who was speaking during the celebration of the 2018 Open Door Day in GTHS Bamenda pointed out that it has being noticed by heads of technical institutions that  more than  fifty-percent of the graduates from the  Higher Technical Teachers Training College(HTTTC)  Bambili and Kumba are not worth the salt.

            “They recruiting and train teachers in specialties that do not exist in many schools. Some departments in the HTTTCs cater just for a single subject, at the detriment of real technical specialties needed on the field. The ball is now in the court of those managing these schools to match training and recruitment of students into these schools with the real demands on the field,” noted Seka Gamsi.

            While addressing the guests to the open door days, he called on the government to re-instate the allocation for training materials to what it used to be.

Seka  regretted that state subventions for training materials which used to stand at fourteen million francs per year has drastically dropped to barely two million  francs on paper and also the special credits for the maintenance of the sophisticated equipment which Canadians equipped the school with ,have long being scraped consequently leading to break down of a good number of machines.The principal  reiterated that  that in order to permit  Cameroon  emerge come 2035,more emphasis has to be put on the teaching of practical’s  before  theory.

            On his part the divisional officer for BamendaIII who re-emphasize the indispensability of technical education in any country, also cautioned the students to be serious, assiduous and discipline as usual so as to become responsible and useful citizens in future.The open door day in GTHS Bamenda provided an opportunity for the public to explore the sixteen departments of the school and their activitiesthrough visitsto workshop stands.

            The event was spiced by a piece of theatre arts from the Drama club of GTHS Bamenda which gained much admiration from the crowd .However ,the 2018  open door has come and gone but stake holders in the technical education say much still needs to done to ameliorate the dilapidating nature of Technical Education in Cameroon .