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The Deputy Minister of Education in charge of Tertiary, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has pooh-poohed the idea of the opposition NPP leader, Nana Akufo-Addo to convert all polytechnics into universities.

According to him, Nana Akufo-Addo is just using the conversion exercise of polytechnics into technical universities to be just political opportunism without meeting the international benchmark.

Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has criticised the decision of the government to convert polytechnics in the country into technical universities in phases.
Describing the approach as ‘piecemeal’, he said the proper way to go was to convert the polytechnics en bloc after ensuring that all of them had the same infrastructure and were at the same level of development.

“We cannot do this policy, piecemeal. Either you are doing it for everybody, or you are not doing it at all,” he told students of the Cape Coast Polytechnic (C-Poly), attracting cheers and applauses, at the weekend, when he addressed them as part of his five-day tour of the Central Region.

Reacting to this on Okay FM’s 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said the conversion exercise should not be used as a political campaign exercise.

“. .this is a very serious exercise which has international benchmark and it is not just political campaign exercise, and so if Nana Addo gets to Cape Coast Polytechnic and meet the students and he thinks he can talk about conversion just to get some quick votes, that is not what guides this process,” he chided.

He insisted that this conversion exercise is not about the next election and also not about quick votes, but a very serious exercise as the future of the youth are concerned; thus this university concept is not limited to Ghana alone but international concept which the credibility of the degrees awarded will be at stake.

“. .and so if outsiders come to access your own and detect it was just for quick votes, nobody will recognise your certificate and you will not get the credibility you deserve and you would have destroyed the future of thousands of youth,” he indicated.