Polytechnics have completely lost focus - Minister

Dr. Ephraim Avea Nsoh, Upper West Regional Minister has expressed worry that Polytechnics in Ghana have completely lost the purpose for which they were established.

He said they have shifted their focus on the training of students who use only their minds at the work place.

Dr. Nsoh noted that polytechnic education was intended to train appropriate middle- level manpower required by the nation particularly in industry.

He said: “the intention is to train polytechnic students to use their minds and hands to solve problems that are in the society.

The Minister made the remarks in a speech read on his behalf at the launch of the Student Representative Council (SRC) week celebration of the Wa Polytechnic on Monday.

The event is on the theme: “Equipping Polytechnic graduates with entrepreneurial skills, the means of solving unemployment challenge in Ghana “.

Dr Nsoh said that polytechnic education should not only aim at strengthening the human resource base of the nation, but it should also create opportunities for self-employment.

He urged the students to turn societal problems like sanitation, bush burning and other poverty-related problems into opportunities through innovation and creativity.

Dr. Nsoh called for partnership between industries and educational institutions so as to give students the opportunity to put into practice what they studied in school.

Prof. Godwin Kwaku Sananu Aflakpui, Rector of the Wa Polytechnic, charged students to be disciplined and acquire entrepreneurial skills for self-employment.

Mr. Sulemana Mumuni, the Regional Director of the National Youth Authority urged polytechnic graduates to stop searching for non-existent white collar jobs.

He appealed to the government to provide seed capital for young people interested in entrepreneurship.

Mr. Mumuni asked students to think outside the box and put into practice the knowledge they had acquire from schools that they could become good entrepreneurs.

Mr. Galaah Furguson, the SRC president, asked the students to take active part in the celebration.

He appealed to the Regional Minister to help the Wa Polytechnic redeem its radio station transmitter that was disconnected last year by the National Communication Authority.