Polytechnic results to be published

Accra, Feb. 10, GNA - Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister of Education Youth and Sports on Tuesday said the next results of the Higher National Diploma (HND) examinations of all Polytechnics in the country would be published in the manner the second cycle institutions' final exams results were published in the media.

The Minister made the announcement when he commissioned a 200,000-dollar Internet caf=E9 for Accra Polytechnic.

The caf=E9, which has initial installation of 55 out of the 70 computers earmarked for it, was jointly established by the school and the Wavenet Cyber Heart Initiative and would be managed by the latter for a period of three years and handed over to the school.

Mr Baah-Wiredu said plans to publish the HND results, was to generate debate among stakeholders in the education sector, and also to stimulate competition among students, which was a recipe for higher academic performance.

It was also to find out the reasons for the current trend in exam results, with the view to evolving ideas on how to improve academic performance in the polytechnics.

Mr Baah-Wiredu said Polytechnic students needed to convince the public that they were good employment materials for the industries and professional institutions, adding that they could only do this through hard work.

"If you demand that the marking scheme for your exams should be lowered, what you are indirectly asking for is that you should be allowed to set your own questions and answer them so you could pass easily.

"If the marking scheme for the HND is lowered the HND will lose credibility and recognition among the professional institutions, which make use of polytechnic materials," he said.

"You have good teachers, make use of them and make the grades in order to maintain the credibility of the HND".

Mr Baah-Wiredu said the Polytechnics were as good as any other institution of higher learning in the country, adding that students and teachers needed to build that confidence in order for others to have faith in them.

He said in the 21st century, jobs were earned and that meant that people must have relevant qualifications to earn employment in high paying institutions.

The Minister said efforts were underway to get Parliament to approve a 78 million dollars World Bank Loan, part of which would be disbursed to all the Polytechnics in the country for various developmental purposes.

He said Information and Communication Technology (ICT) was inevitable to the development of any academic institution in the 21st century and commended Accra-Polytechnic Board of Directors for opening the caf=E9.

Mr John Sey, former Chairman of the Board, said it was unfortunate that the Polytechnic students demanded that they should also be offered graduate status with a degree, adding that as technical personnel, they stood a better chance of employment than people with mere degrees.

He said the Chartered Institute of Accountants, Ghana have continued to acknowledge HND Accounting holders as very good middle level manpower in the field of accounting, adding that, that recognition would be lost if the polytechnic students opted for the degree programme.

Mr. Sey urged the school authorities to institute projects and programs that would enable the carpentry, catering and building departments to generate funds for the schools.