‘Conversion of polys into universities not duplication’
The Minister of Education, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, has stated that the conversion of polytechnics into technical universities will not duplicate the existing universities because their focus will be distinctive.
Advertisement
She explained that students in the technical universities would be trained to acquire higher level technical skills to drive the country’s economic and national development agenda, adding that the proposed universities would contribute to raising the quality and competitiveness of the country’s workforce by providing opportunities for company employees to upgrade their skills and acquire new ones.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang was speaking at the inauguration of five polytechnic councils at the Education Village in Accra.
The councils are the Koforidua Polytechnic Council, which has Prof. Esther Sakyi-Dawson as Chairperson; the Cape Coast Polytechnic Council, with Dr E.G.A. Don Arthur as Chairman, and the Takoradi Polytechnic Council, with Mr J.E. Ackah as Chairman.
The rest are the Tamale and the Bolgatanga Polytechnic councils, chaired by Alhaji A. Salifu and Mr Ambrose Adabre respectively.
The council members jointly took the oaths of office and secrecy, which were administered by Prof Opoku-Agyemang.
Charge
Prof. Opoku-Agyeman charged the council members to take charge of the efficient management of the polytechnics and the implementation of the laws governing polytechnic education.
She reminded them that they had been appointed based on their proven integrity, unflagging sense of patriotism and duty and expressed the belief that they would bring those worthy attributes to bear on the discharge of the responsibilities entrusted them.
Prof Opoku-Agyemang said the functions of the councils had been designed to help anchor polytechnic education in the country.
Research fund
The minister explained that the decision taken by the Education Ministry to set up a research fund from which lecturers could access funds to conduct research after they had submitted proposals was in line with global best practice.
“This will be a huge improvement on the old practice of paying same amount to everyone, regardless of the need,” she further explained.
She appealed to the council members to advise lecturers to take advantage of the research fund that would eventually achieve much more than had previously been the case.
Response
Responding on behalf of her colleague chairmen, Prof Sakyi-Dawson of the University of Ghana said it was a privilege for them to be selected to serve and promised that they would work to justify the confidence reposed in them.