Cape Coast Poly students demonstrate over 'technical university' status
Students and lecturers of the Cape Coast Polytechnic in the Central Region Tuesday morning demonstrated over their exclusion from the list of six polytechnics to be transformed into technical universities in September.
Advertisement
The students and their lecturers blocked the road leading to the school and prevented any movement to and from the campus, Graphic Online’s Timothy Gobah reported.
According to him, the demonstrators also prevented the Polytechnic’s Council members from entering the campus, accusing them of being unconcerned with their plight.
In an interview on Joy FM, the vice-chairman of the school’s alumini, Nana Fobi Donkor said the demonstration was to express their dissatisfaction with the exclusion of the Cape Coast Polytechnic from the first list of polytechnics to be transformed into technical universities.
He said, “We believe that Cape Coast Polytechnic must be part of the first phase polytechnics,” and questioned the reason for which Ho Polytechnic was included in the list
“Why Ho Polytechnic was included is questionable. We’ve asked these questions and no one has given us answers,” he said.
In a response, the Deputy Minister of Education in charge of Tertiary, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said the selection process was done without bias.
He explained that the selection process was done based on an “expert panel” report.
“The selection process was a result of an expert panel and they went round the ten polytechnics, assessed the polytechnics and presented their report to the National Council for Tertiary Education.”
Mr Ablakwa also dismissed claims that there was a political influence in the inclusion of Ho Polytechnic in the first batch of institutions to be converted.
“It was not possible for any external person, any politician, any deputy minister to influence the process, to compromise the process or to make an input. There are two issues that must be dismissed…one, Cape Coast Polytechnic was not ranked ahead of Ho Polytechnic. That is false. There is no need to fight over this,” he explained.
The President in his state of the nation address last Thursday announced that six public polytechnics had been selected to be transformed into technical universities in September this year.
They include the Accra, Koforidua, Kumasi, Ho, Sunyani and Takoradi Polytechnics.
The other four, the Wa, Tamale, Bolgatanga and Cape Coast Polytechnics, he said, would be transformed under the second phase.