Friday, November 21, 2008

603 HO POLY STUDENTGS RECEIVE HNDs (PAGE 11)

THE Ho Polytechnic has held a congregation during which it awarded 603 students who completed various programmes last year with Higher National Diplomas.
They comprise Hotel Management, 49; Catering and Institutional Management, 18; Statistics, 10; Fashion Design and Modelling, 206 ; Accountancy, 70; Marketing, 49; Secretaryship and Management Studies, 16; Agricultural Engineering, 34; Auto Engineering, 77; Building Technology and Electrical and Electronic Engineering, 74
Addressing the congregation, the Chairman of the Ho Polytechnic Council, Professor Frank Obed Kwami, said polytechnics in the country needed to affiliate with older universities for a few years during which period they could exercise oversight responsibilities over their degree programmes.
He pointed out that affiliations with universities could change the direction of polytechnic education.
Seriously, this should not be allowed to happen, else the vision of polytechnics will be lost.
Prof. Kwami said polytechnics must have their own stream of progression which guaranteed the production of a workforce imbued with deep knowledge and advanced skills tailored for specific careers in industry.
Prof. Kwami called for a change of attitude and perception towards Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in order to move towards rapid and sustainable industrialisation, economic growth and national prosperity.
He said this change of attitude would make TVET to be regarded as a progressive parallel system of education which is good for everybody as a first choice educational opportunity.
Prof. Gyasi stressed the need to develop the TVET system as a whole and to offer polytechnic staff competitive salaries and conditions of service.
The Rector of the Ho Polytechnic, Dr K. A. Dzisi, announced that the first batch of students admitted to the access programme for graduates of technical and vocational institutes had been offered admission to pursue HND programmes in Applied Science, Applied Arts and Egineering.
In an address read on his behalf, the Minister of Education, Science and Sports, Prof. Dominic Fobih, said the government was determined to improve the salaries and conditions of service of polytechnic lecturers.
He appealed to industries to offer avenues for polytechnic graduates to help enhance their competencies.
Present at the function was the Agbogbomefia of Ho Asogli and President of the Volta Regional house of chiefs, Togbe Afede XIV.

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