SSS Graduates Denied Admission To T'Poly

More than 40 percent of qualified SSS graduates have been denied admission to do various courses at the Takoradi Polytechnic because the school has reached its highest enrolment capacity in the face of none expansion and lack of adequate facilities.

This was disclosed by Dr. N. Aidoo Taylor at the 9th Matriculation of the school at Takoradi on Saturday January 13, 200.

He therefore called for expansion of the facilities, human resources and other teaching and learning materials of the school or in default, the Polytechnic will continue to deny admission every year to a number of qualified SSS graduates who seek admission to do courses.

Giving statistics, Dr. Aidoo Taylor said the Polytechnic received a total of 3873 applications for admission to both tertiary and non-tertiary programmes.

Of the number as many 3368 or 87percent actually qualified for various programmes. In the case of the higher national diploma (HND) programmes, 1656 out of the 1971 applicants, representing over 84 percent qualified for admission to the programmes, Dr. Aidoo-Taylor said.

However, the places of admission that could be offered by the Polytechnic for HND programmes are 1008, the Principal said explaining that represents 60 percent of the 1656 qualified applicants who could be offered admission.

Dr. Aidoo Taylor said the situation brings into sharp focus the "need to address expansion in physical facilities and infrastructure as well as to improve the provision of teaching and learning inputs so that the Polytechnic will be able to contribute effectively to absorb the ever increasing numbers of senior secondary school graduates who seek admission to tertiary programmes.

He expressed concern over the problem of low enrolment in science based programmes in the polytechnics and the universities.

Dr. Aidoo Taylor therefore called for an investigation into the achievement of this objective of the tertiary education reform that seeks to tilt tertiary enrolment in the ration of 60:40 in favour of science to arts programmes. He said the tertiary reform objective of increasing female enrolment at the tertiary education level is still beset with social problems for its achievement.

Dr. Aidoo Taylor therefore called for a review of strategies for the achievement of the objectives of the reform to increase female enrolment in science based subjects at the tertiary level.

He warned that in future any students of the polytechnic dismissed for indiscipline would have their names circulated to the other polytechnics and the Universities. Mrs. Georgina Baiden, Chairperson of the T-poly council stressed the need for moral discipline among the students, maintenance of environmental sanitation on the campus and hostel and a hard work by the students.