GNUPS urges Govt to act on Polytechnics situation

Accra, Oct. 12, GNA - The Ghana National Union of Polytechnic Students (GNUPS) on Tuesday called on the Government to look for an effective date for the adjustment of salaries of polytechnic teachers, who are on strike to back demands for the payment of their salary arrears.

A statement signed by Mr Mohammed Ibn Issa Suka, National Secretary, said the Union did not understand why lecturers of some tertiary institution were "treated as 'special' whilst some are left to hang, not knowing whether they are lecturers of the tertiary sector or the secondary sector".

GNUPS called for a lasting solution to the problem of salaries of the Polytechnic Teachers Association of Ghana (POTAG) to help retain qualified staff and also induce brilliant students to stay and be trained as members of the faculty before polytechnics became extinct.

The Union appealed to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports and the Conference of Polytechnic Principals to look at the demands of the membership of Teachers and Education Workers Union (TEWU) before they were forced to resort to a strike action by October 14, so as to save the already dislocated academic calendar.

GNUPS called for a stakeholders' meeting to look at the implementation of the B-TECH Programme in the Polytechnics as early as practicable, to serve as avenues of progression for the numerous Polytechnic graduates.