President okays conversion of polytechnics to technical universities
President John Dramani Mahama has announced that he has assented to the bill converting polytechnics to technical universities. Consequently, he said, the eight polytechnics that had met the eligibility criteria could officially start using the name "Technical University.
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"The institutions are the Accra, Ho, Koforidua, Sunyani, Kumasi, Takoradi, Cape Coast and Tamale technical universities.
Parliament passed the bill converting the polytechnics to full-fledged universities in August 2016.
The eligibility criteria centred on institutional standing, academic staff requirements and evidence of collaboration with industry and employers in the delivery of programmes.
The President's announcement sent students of the Koforidua University of Technology and Entrepreneurial Management into jubilation yesterday.
President Mahama was at the campus of the university to interact with students and lecturers as part of his campaign tour of the Eastern Region. Also at the meeting were some students from some tertiary institutions in Koforidua.
Jobs
Touching on the negative perception about technical and vocational education, the President said that thinking was being eroded because "we live in a changing world."
President Mahama explained that industry today was looking to employ graduates with skills and not what was referred to as grammar-type graduates.
That explained why the government was ensuring that tertiary education refocused on skills training, he said.
President Mahama said the public sector was choked and could hardly open up employment avenues for the thousands of graduates coming out of the universities every year.
The government's role in arresting the problem, he explained, was to create conditions necessary for the private sector to thrive so it could offer jobs to the youth.
He mentioned some of the conditions that needed to be created to include growing the economy to about eight per cent, building a stable economy that would be attractive to the private sector and putting in instruments that would make small and medium enterprises grow.
President Mahama being mobbed by some students of the university after his address. Pictures: Ebow Hanson
President Mahama said the government would continue to support the private sector to grow.
He also stated that he wanted to see many young graduates become employers rather than employees, that was why the Youth Enterprises Support was set up.
Reviving factories
President Mahama reiterated his pledge to revive the Dr Nkrumah era factories that had become defunct.
Currently, he said, feasibility studies were underway to revive the Aboso Glass Factory, indicating that raw materials for the factory were available.
Change already happening
President Mahama said Ghana was moving forward and not going backwards.
"We are not waiting for change. The country is changing already," President Mahama told the audience.
He said his second term would see accelerated development of the nation.
