The lack of adequate infrastructure at the Shama Technical Institute (SHATEC) in the Western Region is putting pressure on teaching and learning at the school, its Principal, Mr Paul Quaysie, has stated.
He said the institute was struggling to meet the needs of its growing student population and appealed to the government, the private sector and other stakeholders to support the school.
In an exclusive interview with The Ghanaian Times in Shama yesterday, Mr Quaysie noted that the completion of a stalled three-storey classroom block would help ease the pressure on the school.
He said the project, which was started in 2022, was being financed mainly through the school’s Internally Generated Fund (IGF), with students providing labour under the supervision of departmental heads.
“SHATEC commenced the construction of a classroom block in 2022, which remains incomplete and requires urgent completion,” he said.
Mr Quaysie mentioned that completing the block would provide additional classroom space and improve teaching and learning.
He said the school also needed dormitories, an assembly hall, an administration block and well-equipped practical workshops.
Other needs, he underlined, included a dining hall, teachers’ bungalows, a school bus and a pick-up vehicle.
Mr Quaysie appealed to the Shama Municipal Assembly and companies such as the Volta River Authority (VRA), Tullow Ghana and the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) to support the institute.
He also called on the government and the Ghana TVET Service to employ more teachers to address staffing gaps at the institute.
Mr Quaysie said the Electrical Engineering Department had only two permanent teachers despite having the largest student population.
He said the Architecture Department, which had about 81 students, had no permanent teacher and needed at least six qualified instructors.
He disclosed that he had to step in to facilitate teaching at the department.
SHATEC currently has 32 staff, comprising 27 teaching and five non-teaching staff.
Established in 2000, the school was formerly known as the Integrated Community Centre for Employable Skills (ICCES).
It later became SHATEC following the enactment of the Pre-Tertiary Education Act, 2020 (Act 1049), and was placed under the Ghana TVET Service.
The institute offers programmes in Architectural Drafting and Design, Electrical Engineering Technology, Building Construction Technology, Hair Technology, Fashion Technology, Hospitality and Catering Management, and Beauty Therapy.
Mr Quaysie further revealed that the institute had trained more than 2,000 people through its mainstream and sponsored programmes.
He said many of its graduates had established their own businesses, joined the public service or pursued higher education.
Despite the challenges, Mr Quaysie indicated that SHATEC remained committed to producing skilled and entrepreneurial graduates to support national development.
FROM CLEMENT ADZEI BOYE, SHAMA
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