Story: Tim Dzamboe, Ho
A former vice chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Professor Frank Obed Kwami has said the new polytechnic law needed careful study and implementation in order not to divert from the good intentions of making polytechnics a hub for training skilled manpower for business and industry.
He said also although the law granted explicit academic autonomy to a polytechnic he advised that the Conference of Rectors of Polytechnics (CORP) should try to harmonize their programmes to ensure certain degree of harmonization and rationalization.
Professor Kwami who is the chairman of the Ho Polytechnic council said this at the eighth congregation of the Ho Polytechnic during which 470 students from the 2006 year group were presented with Higher National Dipomas (HNDs) last weekend.
He quoted a section of the law, thus, “a polytechnic may award degrees subject to the conditions that the council of that polytechnic may determine” saying that there had been some interpretations in several ways some of which were not in consonant with the existing aims and objectives of polytechnic education.
He stressed that what was missing in national educational system were the structures for the delivery of technical and vocational education and training and the formation of effective and sustainable human capital for socio-economic development.
As a result of the new polytechnic act, Professor Kwami therefore underscored the need for all stakeholders to meet and fashion out national vision for the polytechnics.
He suggested the meeting of the government, Councils Polytechnics, Conference of Rectors of Polytechnics, Regulatory Bodies of Tertiary Institutions, National Council for Technical Education and Training(COTVET) and Industry to find ways of addressing structural deficiencies at all levels of education and training.
Professor Kwami said the long standing matter that affected the entire polytechnic community was the poor salaries and conditions of service adding that it needed to be resolved quickly.
He said the proliferation of tertiary institutions especially in the private sector has generated a keen demand for lecturers and support staff and making it difficult for polytechnics to retain and recruit staff.
In an address, the Minister of Education, Science and Sports, Professor Dominic Fobih announced that the government was desirous in making conditions of service attractive so that the best of staff can be appointed adequately motivated and retained to train the middle level manpower for the nation.
He, however, said it needed time to solve all problems in the polytechnics and other tertiary institutions and pleaded for time to sort out challenges facing the government.
Professor Fobih said the government was committed to supporting the Competency Based Teaching and Learning concept in polytechnics and will ensure that its objectives were achieved.
He advised young graduands to gear up into the field by setting up their own businesses in order to become employers instead of joining the queues for nonexistent government jobs.
He also said the government was making great efforts at creating a conducive environment for business by putting in place a sound micro-economic system that will be of interest to the youth adding that “ government is sparing no effort to give young energetic men and women like you the opportunity to be the very best that you can be”.
In a welcoming address, the rector of the polytechnic, Dr Komla Agbeko Dzisi disclosed that out of 240 students, four obtained first class, 246 obtained second class upper division, 215 obtained second class lower division with five obtaining a pass.
He said there was bias towards the study of Business Studies at the polytechnic and that a bridging programme had started to encourage more enrolment in Applied Science, Engineering and Allied Arts programmes.
Dr Dzisi proposed to the government to subsidize the fees of science students to bring them at par with arts and business students in second cycle institutions in order encourage the study of science courses in second and tertiary institutions.
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