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Professor Abdulai Salifu Asuro, the Rector of Tamale Polytechnic, has appealed to the Government to give the Polytechnics more representation on the teams and committees working on the conversion of the polytechnics into technical universities.

Prof Asuro who made the appeal at the 9th Congregation of the Tamale Polytechnic in Tamale, at the weekend, stated that it was the surest good way for the laudable dream to grow and bear the expected fruit.

“Certain key decisions involving the conversion are taken before the Rectors and Polytechnic Community are asked to contribute,” he complained.

“It is not to the blind side of everyone here that similar well-thought out ideas have failed not for the lack of funds but because the targeted beneficiaries had not been adequately consulted or involved in the implementation process of such projects”.

Prof. Asuro also said the thorny issue in relation to the government’s support for research and the replacement of the existing book and research fund with a research fund needed to be discussed thoroughly with the Polytechnic Teachers’ Association of Ghana”.

He said: “I am reliably informed that tempers are getting flared on our various Polytechnic campuses because of this”, and appealed to the Government to take urgent steps to address the issue.

Prof Asuro gave the assurance that the Tamale Polytechnic would continue to introduce industry-specific, specialised programmes to cater for the country’s industrial needs.

A total of 1,560 students graduated with Higher National Diploma Certificates in various disciplines, including Accounting, Marketing, Agricultural Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Statistics, Building Technology, amongst others.

Alhaji Abdullah Salifu, the Chairman of the Governing Council of Tamale Polytechnic, said: “In a bid to ensure quality teaching and learning at the School of Engineering, the Polytechnic has procured an auto-diagnostic equipment through the Skills Development Fund to set up an ultra-modern auto-diagnostic laboratory to diagnose vehicles”.

Alhaji Salifu appealed to the Ghana Education Trust Fund to release more funds for the completion of infrastructural projects at the Polytechnic to facilitate even a better teaching and learning environment.