Accra Poly graduates 2,922 students

Accra Polytechnic, the nation’s premier Polytechnic on Saturday graduated a total of 2,922 students from its three schools of Engineering, Applied Sciences and Arts, and Business and Management Studies; comprising 15 departments in all.

The graduating students were awarded Higher National Diploma (HND) certificates for successfully completing various programme of study in 2014.

The distribution of the awards was School of Business and Management Studies 57 per cent, School of Engineering 27 per cent and School of Applied Sciences and Arts 16 per cent.

Of the total number of graduating students, two percent had first class, 30 percent had second class upper, 60 percent had second class lower while eight percent had pass.

Professor Sylvester Achio, the Rector of Accra Polytechnic in his report at the 14th Congregation said: "The graduate output for the 2014 compared to the previous years is the highest, it exceeds the 2013 academic year by 41 percent, which in my opinion is very significant and shows Accra Polytechnic is maturing”.

He said the Polytechnic continues to work towards achieving its set objectives contained in the five-year strategic plan that was launched in 2013, stating that, in pursuant to that, a number of strides had been made in the areas of governance and infrastructure.

He said in terms of governance, the Polytechnic had successfully reviewed a number of existing policies and in some cases, drafted new ones; especially in the areas of Course Assessment, Industrial Attachment, Field Trips, Peer and Professional Assessment of Course Content and Teaching.

The Rector said the objective of these policies was to enhance governance, eliminate arbitrariness procedures and practices in the true spirit of their core values – truth, excellence and service.

In the academic field, Prof Achio said the Polytechnic had chalked some noble gains; declaring that the ratio of science/engineering students to business students continues to improve under their strategy and the figures show that they had moved from a ratio of 42:58 in 2012 to 43:57 in 2014.

He said the number of senior lecturers had jumped drastically from a low figure of just two in 2012 to 46 in 2014 and still counting.

“I must commend the Directorate of Research Development and New Programmes, for the bold and innovative steps taken to drive the interest of both teaching and non-teaching Senior Members in research and publications,” the Rector stated.

Prof Achio said the Polytechnic, from its current 15 HND and five Bachelor of Technology (B-Tech) programmes, had successfully finalized the process to roll out three new HND and six new B-Tech programmes, pending approval from the National Accreditation Board.

These HND programmes include: Actuarial Finance, Petrochemical Technology, and Advertising Technology; whereas the B-Tech programmes pending approval include: Actuarial Finance, Statistics, Petrochemical Technology, Advertising Technology, Accounting and Finance.

The Rector said the Polytechnic had successfully collaborated with the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) to run certificate, diploma and advanced diploma courses for senior high school leavers, Diploma in Business Studies and HND graduates respectively; of which the first batch of the CILT and Diploma in Logistics and Transport also graduated.

On the technical universities, the Rector said the concept was laudable and that Accra Polytechnic was working around the clock to address avoidable challenges, to be the first or among the first to start this concept.

He said management would continue to invest in the infrastructural expansion of the Polytechnic to enhance teaching and learning.

The Rector advised the graduating students to be good ambassadors of the Polytechnic.

Prof Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, the Minister of Education, in a speech read on her behalf by her Deputy, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said the technical universities, however, would not replace the already existing universities because their mandate would be distinctive.

She said students in technical universities would be trained to acquire high level practical and technical skills to drive the country’s economic and national agenda; stating that “the introduction of the technical university would enhance the polytechnic mandate”.

Mr Enoch Teye Mensah, the Chairman of the Accra Polytechnic Governing Council urged management to use the Polytechnic’s scarce resources prudently and to explore private-public partnership opportunities and to attract investors to construct learning facilities that support both academic and social life of their students.

He assured that the Council would support this effort to lift the Polytechnic to greater heights.