‘Draw up plans to convert polytechnics into varsities’
President John Dramani Mahama has tasked the Minister of Education to draw up a road map towards the conversion of polytechnics into technical universities.
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He said the polytechnics had the capacity to be transformed into universities as they had better facilities than some of the private universities accredited to run degree programmes.
President Mahama gave the directive at a meeting with members of the Conference of Rectors of Polytechnics (CORP) at the Flagstaff House, Kanda in Accra.
The members were at the seat of government to discuss issues affecting the running of polytechnics with the President.
President Mahama said the government was ready to support the upgrading of infrastructure at the polytechnics in terms of lecture rooms, laboratories and libraries.
Besides, he said, the polytechnics would be supported to attract the right human resource to run technical university programmes.
The President stressed the need for the people to change their orientation towards technical and vocational education, especially at the basic and secondary levels, since no country could develop without middle-level professionals.
He mentioned Germany, Korea and Singapore as some of the countries which had developed, based on the contribution of their middle-level professionals.
President Mahama said the country sometimes employed the services of foreigners in some fields, and indicated that if the nation had the right people for such jobs the foreigners might not be needed.
He, therefore, charged the Ministry of Education to lead the crusade against stigmatisation of vocational and technical education and encourage the youth to opt for training in those areas.
In his remarks, the Chairman of CORP, Prof. G.K.S. Aflakpui, said President Mahama's decision to convert polytechnics into technical universities had brought a lot of joy to authorities of polytechnics across the country.
He expressed the hope that the proposal for the technical universities to have their first intake by 2016 would be on course.
Prof. Aflakpui expressed worry that only an insignificant percentage of students who wrote the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination chose technical courses, and called for the reverse of the situation.
Prof. Aflakpui appealed to the government to support the organisation of the West African Polytechnic games scheduled for August, 2014.
By Musah Yahaya Jafaru/Daily Graphic/Ghana