Minister inaugurates Tamale Polytechnic Governing Council

Tamale, Nov. 12, GNA- Ms. Elizabeth Ohene, Minister of State for Tertiary Education on Wednesday, inaugurated a 15-member Governing Council of the Tamale Polytechnic and urged the Council to help build bridges between the Polytechnic and industry.

She told the members: " Industry must have a say in what programmes the Polytechnics are pursuing so that the products of such programmes will be accepted by the industry sector".

"It is unacceptable to see Polytechnic graduates walking in the streets without job", she said, adding, "if this is what is happening, then we are not doing what is right".

Inducting the Council members into office, Ms. Ohene urged them to be able to discern the priority projects of the Polytechnic so that the management "does not go off just because it wants something to be done". She said the provision of classrooms, equipment and laboratory, for instance, should be a priority to the management.

The Minister reminded the Council of the arduous task ahead of it saying that the polytechnics play an important role in the socio-economic life of the country.

"You must instil in the students and teachers the self-confidence for the polytechnics to have a clear path to follow and not placed second class to the universities", she said.

She urged the management to integrate information and communication technology into all the courses offered at the Polytechnic, adding, "your courses should be career-focused".

Ms. Ohene asked the Council members to take a good look at PNDC Law 321, which among others, upgraded the polytechnics into tertiary institutions and make suggestions and comments as to whether or not there is the need for any amendment to the law.

She assured the Council that the sector Ministry was making every effort to find long-term solutions to the problems confronting the polytechnics.

She said, however, that the students must exhaust all avenues for their grievances, including consultation with the Council, adding, "the Ministry should be your last resort".

Ms. Ohene expressed the Ministry's support to the Council to enable it to work effectively and commended the outgoing Governing Council for "nurturing the Polytechnic into maturity" since its inception in 1992. Professor Mohammed Ibrahimah, Principal of the Polytechnic, in a welcoming address, expressed gratitude to the government for constituting the Governing Council.

He assured members of a good working relationship between the Polytechnic management and the Council to move the institution forward.

The out-going Chairman of the Council, Mr Adams Zakaria, urged the new Council to strive to improve on the gains of the old Council. Chairman of the new Governing Council, Alhaji Basit Fuseini, lauded his predecessors for good work done and said his administration would measure up to the task to justify the confidence reposed in them. Alhaji Fuseini, a former Northern Regional Minister and presently Ambassador to Libya, assured the Polytechnic management of the Council's cooperation and said: "We will not interfere in your day-to-day administration".

Mr Justice V.C. Doegah, A Tamale High Court Judge, administered the oath of office to the members.