Five polytechnics assume varsity status this year

Five polytechnics in the country are lacing-up their boots as they prepare to change their status to technical universities come September this year.

Government last year set up a committee to assess the 10 polytechnics and give recommendations to assist their conversion to technical universities.

Mr. Kwabena Takyi Ankomah, the Coordinator of Universities and Polytechnics at NCTE, told the media in an earlier interview that all the 10 polytechnics have been assessed but only five will be converted into technical universities this year.

The five polytechnics are: Accra Poly, Ho Poly, Kumasi Poly, Takoradi Poly and Koforidua Poly.

Accra Polytechnic, toward this end, is addressing its challenges with laboratories, workshops, classroom space and equipment.

Most of these projects are internally funded, with support from international agencies and government through the Council for Technical and Vocational Education Training.

According to the institute’s Rector, an ultra-modern structure will be put up in the course of the year on newly acquired land in Pokuase.

The Koforidua Polytechnic has also over the past years renovated the school with ultra-modern lecture halls and workshops, and has improved academic facilities of the school giving it a facelift to attain the feat of becoming a technical university.

The justifications for converting the polytechnics into technical universities were to reposition the polytechnics as strategic institutions for training highly skilled human resources to drive economic growth, as well as achieving parity of esteem with universities without departing from the practice-oriented philosophy of polytechnic education and training.

It is also to create a progressive pathway at the tertiary level for practically-inclined SHS students and technical school graduates

Though these polytechnics are yet to gain university status, experts have warned that they should not deviate from their traditional mandate of training students in industry-based programmes.

They argue that the conversion of the polytechnics to technical universities should be accompanied by clear policies and regulations to prevent the new institutions deviating from the desired objective of providing technical training and skills development of a kind that is not currently available in the traditional universities.

The committee that worked on the report recommended that converted polytechnics should research into -- and provide support for -- micro, small, and medium-scale enterprises, and promote technology adaptation and innovation in support of local enterprises.

It said they should be seen as differentiated institutions with focus on science and technology disciplines, although relevant programmes in business and the social sciences can be offered to promote continuous professional development and lifelong learning.