Kumasi, Aug 25, GNA - Dr Joseph Annan, the Deputy Minister of Education, has pledged the government's determination to encourage the youth to acquire technical and vocational skills. This, he said, was the way forward if the nation was to achieve rapid socio economic development.

Dr. Annan was addressing the 43rd annual residential delegates' congress of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) at the University of Education, Kumasi.

He said the government would continue to involve NUGS and other stakeholders in its education policy decisions. By so doing there would be smooth implementation of policies and avoid the situation in the past where the implementation of many laudable policies announced by governments were fraught with problems. Mr Ishmael Tweneboa-Kodua, the out-going President of NUGS, served notice to the government about their unwavering resolve to resist "any arbitrary" increase in academic facility user fees this academic year.

He denounced the consistent lip service to the education sector by governments.

"It beats one's imagination why a country that constantly sermonizes the need to produce a literate society will deliberately ignore it's educational institutions and make it practically impossible for the youth to acquire the necessary technical and vocational skills" he said. Mr. Tweneboa-Koduah also complained about inadequate infrastructure and lack of relevant teaching and learning tools in educational institutions and called on the Government to act quickly to make things better. Mr. Joseph Kwabena Onyina, the Ashanti Regional Director of Education, advised the students to show commitment and patriotism and to accept postings to the deprived areas where their services were mostly needed.