According to them, the non-existence of governing councils in the various Technical Universities and Polytechnics is hampering the smooth administration of their schools.

[contextly_sidebar id=”K1T6n557KkqV0bjqCOKYGZkHzIOYJ9ap”]A statement issued by the Ghana National Union of Technical Students and copied to citifmonline.com, said students who had completed their programs of study in 2017, were yet to be awarded their certificates because there was no Council to sign them.

“The Ghana National Union of Technical Students (GNUTS), formerly, Ghana National Union of Polytechnic Students (GNUPS) is utterly disappointed in the failure of the government to put up the governing Councils of the various Technical Universities and Polytechnics in the country.

“The absence of the governing Councils is significantly hampering the smooth operations of these institutions. Students who have successfully completed their programs of study for a year now have no certificates due to the inability of these Institutions to organise graduation ceremonies to award certificates. This, of course, is as result of the absence of a governing Council, which has that mandate,” the statement said.

“The fate of these students remains in limbo whilst authorities sit unconcerned. This is absolutely unacceptable and we demand that the right steps be taken with immediate effect. It is also worthy of note that, a lot of these graduates are on the verge of finishing their national service and get into the world of work,” the statement added.

GNUTS earlier last month petitioned the Ministry of Education and the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE), to as a matter of urgency, facilitate the formation of the Governing Councils of the Technical  Universities and Polytechnics, but no action has been taken.

According to GNUTS, the government must act immediately on the matter or it “shall be compelled to advise ourselves.”

Meanwhile, the University of Education is currently in court after it was sued by a private citizen for allowing its Council whose tenure had expired to continue discharging its roles.

According to the plaintiff, it was illegal for the council members to hold themselves as such therefore any decision it has taken is illegal.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Technical University students threaten gov’t over non-existent Governing Councils appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to the Association, the NCTE is usurping the powers of University Councils, and acting arbitrarily to run the various Technical Universities.

[contextly_sidebar id=”1PEDIcSY3byXlSCgqz9zSyKbpGloCGJ0″]It said the development has caused some unrest among the various teacher unions within the Polytechnics and Technical Universities.

In a statement copied to citifmonline.com, the Association also accused the Minister of Education, Matthew Opoku Prempeh, of conniving with the NCTE to violate the Provisions of the Technical Universities Act, 2016 (Act 922), which called for a constitution of a University council to run the various Technical Universities for one year.

It said the various Councils have since been dissolved by the NCTE and the Minister to enable the NCTE exert authority over the Technical Universities.

“The Association observes and believes same to be true that the NCTE has a hidden agenda and hence has resorted to a deliberate feet-dragging strategy to frustrate the transition process and destroy the very fine idea of Technical University introduced by the previous Government. ..The Association also believes that the deliberate feet-dragging is a Machiavellian tactic of the NCTE being employed in the Transitional arrangements to secure the ambition of some of their top Management and cronies from the Traditional Universities to take up key positions in the newly converted Technical Universities. POTAG views these acts as diabolical and shall resist them vehemently,” the statement said.

It further accused the minister of refusing to grant them an audience to discuss the matter which they say is likely to lead them to hold a massive demonstration to express their resentment.

POTAG has however called on the government to among other things reconstitute the Governing Councils of the Technical Universities and Polytechnics to enable the Technical Universities to operate as effectively as mandated.

It has also called on the government to convert of the two (2) remaining Polytechnics (Bolgatanga and Wa) to Technical University as soon as possible.

It also reminded government to expedite action on the payment of their Book and Research Allowances for the 2016/2017 Academic year which payment they say is long overdue.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @jnyabor

The post Education Minister sabotaging conversion of Polytechnics – POTAG appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The Bolgatanga Polytechnic was among other three polytechnics that did not meet the conversion requirements for technical universities, but Rockson Bukari said the school could become a technical university this year (2017).

Speaking to Citi News on the 6oth Independence Day parade in Bolgatanga, the regional minister, Rockson Bukari, said the Minister for Education, Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh gave him the assurance.

“When I visited the Education Minister Dr. Prempeh in his office, he told me the conversion committee for technical university was assiduously working on the conversion process and that by September this year, the committee will present its report to him and the Bolgatanga Polytechnic will be turned into a technical university.

…And I know he will do it because he (Dr.Prempeh) has assured me that, the Bolgatanga Polytechnic will be converted into a technical university this year” he stated.

Mr. Bukari added that, the technical university will guarantee access to young people in the region to acquire employable technical skills for the development of region.

“…With the NPP’s policies like the One District One Factory, One Village One Dam among others, the region will get 13 factories and you have technical men manning these factories, it will create jobs for the youth and improve the living standards of people in the region.”

Improving sanitation in the region

Mr. Bukari disclosed that, radical measures will be taken under his administration to curb the menace of open defecation and unsanitary conditions in the region.

According to a 2016 United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) report, the Upper East Region recorded the highest open defecation rate of 89 percent, but Rockson Bukari underscored the need for tough decisions to reverse the trend.

He bemoaned the sad state of the region’s sanitation, attributing it to weak enforcement of sanitation By-laws of various assemblies.

He hinted that, stores, lorry stations and other business centers will be closed down for failing to keep their surroundings clean.

“The sanitation in the Upper East Region is very sad particularly the region’s capital, Bolgatanga. When we are able to put our chief executives in place, I will give them the support to improve the sanitation situation. This open defecation in the region is not the best for us, everywhere smells and it’s not the best. What we can do now is that, all stores and lorry stations must clean from their locations to the nearest streets and gutters respectively or be closed down.”

“I will also support the assemblies to strictly enforce their sanitation By-laws because the laws are there, but not well enforced. We must also empower the courts to deal with sanitation issues to serve as deterrent to others,” he stated.

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By: Frederick Awuni/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Bolga Polytechnic to be converted to university soon – Minister appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.