Tamale Poly Rector confident of getting university status

The Rector of Tamale Polytechnic in the Northern Region, Abdulai Salifu Asuro has appealed to parliament to consider inputs made by stakeholders in passing the Research Fund Bill into law.

The Rector directed his call to the legislature because members of the Polytechnic Council, he said, have reliably been informed that the Bill that would replace the book and research allowance is currently before parliament for consideration.

"We are reliably informed that the research fund bill is currently before Parliament for consideration. Let me use this platform to appeal to our law makers to consider all the various inputs made by stakeholders in passing the bill into law, as no training institution can boast to stand the test of time if teaching staff remain stagnant in their quest for improved knowledge".

Speaking at the 10th Congregation of the Tamale Polytechnic, Abdulai Asuro said the institution has on its priority list the need to increase support for staff development and in that regard, the institution has continued its search for sustainable funding and support opportunities that will ensure a well-marked up agenda for staff training and professional development.

He also revealed plans by the institution to devote a whole month in every academic year to host an "innovations month" where staff will showcase their ingenuity in applied research and product development.

"It is my firm belief that this will inspire and excite interest in science and technology in both our students and teaching staff. This will institutionalized in the Polytechnic based on the successes and the lessons learnt over time", he said.

Abduali Salifu lamented that the Polytechnic has been lagging over the years in infrastructural development, taking into account the number of abandoned GETFUND projects dotting around campus including a Library Complex and a four hundred capacity female hostel.

Tamale Polytechnic failed to meet the criteria during the assessment process which led to the institution not been added to the first six Polytechnics to be converted into a university in September 2016.

However, after a re-assessment by the National Council of Tertiary Education (NCTE), its governing council members are optimistic the institution will be upgraded in September with the introduction of two new Bachelor Degree Programmes.

Chairman of the Governing Council of the Tamale Polytechnic Abdulai Salifu said, "the institution is awaiting response from the National Council of Tertiary Education (NCTE) on its re-assessment of the institution towards the conversion of polytechnics to Technical Universities which the council is optimistic will answer the roll call come September, 2016".

A Higher National Diploma Certificate Award was conferred on a total of one thousand four hundred and twenty nine (1429) graduands in various disciplines for the 2015 graduating class.