Ghana’s Polytechnics asked to fine-tune curricula
Alhaji Issahaku Salia, Upper West Regional Minister, has suggested to the country’s polytechnics to review their curricula to bring them in tune with demands of the labour market and national aspirations.
He said the polytechnics had a special responsibility to produce graduates imbued with the requisite vocational skills that would make them useful to their families, communities and the nation.
Alhaji Salia was speaking at the ninth matriculation of the Wa Polytechnic on Saturday during which 859 fresh students were formally admitted to pursue various Higher National Diploma (HND) courses.
The polytechnic, which was established in 1999, runs HND courses in Business and Management, Applied Sciences and Technology, Agricultural, Mechanical and Civil Engineering.
He said the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government was adopting a holistic approach to dealing with the problems of the polytechnics as most of them were its brainchild.
The Regional Minister called on the Polytechnic Teachers Association of Ghana (POTAG) to exercise restraint as government reviewed their demands and find ways of meeting them.
He urged authorities of the Wa Polytechnic to expand its frontiers to emerge as one of the best institutions in the country.
Alhaji Salia advised the students to live up to the expectation of becoming assets to their families, communities and the nation, which, according to him, could be achieved through hard work, discipline and obedience.
Dr Godwin Aflakpui, Rector of Wa Polytechnic, said the institution was at an advanced stage of getting accreditation to begin an HND Dispensing Technology programme.
He pleaded with government and other benevolent organizations to assist the institution to tackle the numerous start-up and operational challenges facing it.
He mentioned infrastructural inadequacies, weak transportation and communication system, undeveloped residential facilities and absence of information technology among others as some of the major challenges facing the polytechnic.
The Rector advised the fresh students to acquaint themselves with the regulation governing their stay in the polytechnic.
He warned that issuing of threats was unlawful and anybody caught in such an act would be dealt with in accordance with the relevant laws.
Source: GNA