Ho Polytechnic holds 10th Congregation

Ho, March 15, GNA - The 10th Congregation of the Ho Polytechnic, went ahead on Saturday despite a last-minute attempt by an aggrieved former student to scuttle the event through a purported restraining order by the Human Rights Court in Accra.

A news item by an Accra FM station Friday evening indicated that the restraining order secured by an Accra based legal firm on behalf of a Mr John Adzakrah was served on the authorities of the Polytechnic. The ceremony scheduled to start at 0900 hours was delayed for about two hours, creating anxiety among parents and guardians and prospective graduates who sat expectantly in the more than 1,000 capacity auditorium an= d its adjoining hall.

The polytechnic authorities punctuated the waiting period with apologies and assurances that the event would get underway as soon as the Education, Minister Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo arrive.

The ushering in of the convocation and dignitaries by the Polytechnic's mace bearer took the cork off the bottled up atmosphere. Mr Robert Appati-Gyimah, Public Relations Officer of the school told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview that he was aware that a writ of summons had been served on the Polytechnic to be responded to within eight days; that is March 18 or March 19.

He said he was however not aware of any restraining order against the holding of the Congregation. Mr Appati-Gyimah said there would have been chaos and possible mayhem at the Polytechnic campus that Saturday should the Congregation be put off. He said the 1,841 former students some of whom had finished their courses since 2007 and anxiously waiting to receive their degrees and diplomas to brighten their chances of securing jobs, would have been disappointed not to speak of the cost of preparations for the programme. The Polytechnic's Registrar Mr F.K. Dzineku also told the GNA that he wa= s not served with any restraining order, since he was at a meeting. In a speech delivered on his behalf President John Evans Atta Mills urged the students to acquire competencies in preparation for the emerging oil industry and the numerous opportunities it would offer. President Mills urged the graduates to strive to be employers rather than look forward to becoming government employees.

"I shall encourage as many of you as possible to set up your own busines= ses and become employers instead of joining the queues for non-existent government jobs," he said. He lauded the Ho Polytechnic for pioneering the Competency Based Teaching and Learning, approach and called on the corporate entities to provide opportunities for the attachment of students and also support the polytechnic materially.