The National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE), has set up a five member expert panel to reassess the readiness of the Cape Coast and Tamale Polytechnics for their conversion into technical universities.
They however say the decision was not taken because of pressure coming from the two polytechnics.
The two institutions which were left out the first phase of the conversion that included six polytechnics have petitioned the Ministry of Education and the NCTE, to reassess their readiness for the conversion.
[contextly_sidebar id=”mkYlWoJXUsBlnT2mdGfMHQkz11yGDrZn”]The Alumni association of the Cape Coast Polytechnic and the Tamale branch of POTAG have criticized the NCTE and the Ministry of Education for purposely sidelining them in the first phase of the conversion.
But speaking to Citi News, the Executive Secretary of the National Council for Tertiary Education, Professor Mohammed Salifu, rejected such claims and rubbished suggestions that the NCTE had bowed to pressure from the two institutions.
He explained that the decision to reassess the polytechnics is merely part of a procedure agreed upon by all the polytechnics before the start of the conversion.
“At the time that the first assessment was going on, the rule was that if you don’t qualify now, and you address the shortcomings in time, you can apply for us to come back and the do the reassessment.”
He further lamented that the actions of the Tamale POTAG and the Alumni association of the Cape Coast Polytechnic were damaging because they have caused the public to believe that the NCTE was bowing to their pressure.
“Whatever they have done has nothing to do with it. Unfortunately in the mind of the public, I’m sure people are going to be thinking they have made noise and so they are being give some attention.”
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By Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana