US government urged to support polytechnics

Tamale, Sept 09, GNA - Prof Mohammed Z. Ibrahimah, the Principal of the Tamale Polytechnic, has appealed to the US government to offer training opportunities to polytechnic lecturers in US institutions.

He said such an opportunity would enable the lecturers to impart new skills to their students when they return.

Prof Ibrahimah made the appeal when the US Ambassador, Mrs Mary Carlin Yates, donated books to the polytechnic and the University for Development Studies (UDS) on Wednesday.

Mrs Yates was in the Northern Region to launch the Opportunities Industrialisation Centre International (OICI) Development Assistance Programme (DAP).

Briefing Mrs Yates on the difficulties and progress of the UDS, the Vice Chancellor, Prof John B.K. Kaburise said degrees awarded by the UDS were a departure from the traditional ones. He said programmes of the university were integrated and development oriented.

The Vice Chancellor said the association of the university with the US Embassy had been very beneficial as some staff had gone on Fulbright International Centre Programme and were back while others were about to go on the programme.

In her response Mrs Yates said the US Embassy had plans to support feasible programmes of the University through grants and educational exchanges.

She advised the University to take advantage of the existing OICI and the Ghana-US Resource Centre to enhance the capacity of the lecturers.