The Chairman of the Expert Panel on the Conversion of Polytechnics to Technical Universities, Prof. Anthony Adimado, has rejected accusations that his panel erred by not adding Cape Coast Polytechnic to the list of polytechnics to be converted into technical Universities.
A Group calling itself Coalition for Central Regional Youth picketed on the campus of the Cape Coast Polytechnic on Tuesday, demanding the institution be converted into a technical university because all the impediments that prevented the conversion have been cleared.
[contextly_sidebar id=”MtKeUL0w2PrfGe1mCqi7oeeHFWszdVIw”]But Speaking to Citi News, the Chairman of the Panel that did the technical work on the eligibility of polytechnics to be converted into Technical Universities, Prof. Anthony Adimado, said based on their work, Cape Coast Polytechnic lacks the proper academic governance system and the requisite technical equipment to be converted into a technical University immediately.
He said “…for Cape Coast Poly it has a weak governance in academic leadership and they needed retooling of critical laboratories and workshops. So we made our recommendations to the NCT in purely advisory capacity. So NCT also made its own recommendations which was also supposed to be an advisory to the Ministry of Education,” he added.
Meanwhile, government is expected to meet with authorities of the Cape Coast Polytechnic later on Wednesday to iron out the issues.
The group that protested among other things, accused government of sidelining the Polytechnic and hurriedly including Ho Polytechnic as part of the six to be converted in the first phase of the exercise.
Why the gradual implementation?
The Deputy Minister in-charge of Tertiary education, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, earlier revealed that the first phase of the conversion of polytechnics into technical universities, will take place in September this year, with six polytechnics.
Government has explained that it cannot convert all the polytechnics into a university because a Technical Committee set up to advice it on the conversion, recommended that the exercise must be done progressively to satisfy the requirements of becoming a technical university.
The Minister further clarified that government cannot not just upgrade polytechnics without assessing the varying levels of infrastructure and capacity, hence the need for the implementation of the conversion in phases .
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By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana