US government urged to support capacity building of Polytechnics

Tamale, Sept. 12, GNA- The Principal of the Tamale Polytechnic, Professor Mohammed Z. Ibrahimah has appealed to the US government to offer training opportunities to Polytechnics lecturers in US educational institutions.

He said this would offer them an opportunity to improve their education.

Professor Ibrahimah made the appeal when the US Ambassador, Mrs Mary Carlin Yates donated assorted books valued at 500 dollars to the Polytechnic and the University for Development Studies (UDS) on last Wednesday.

Mrs Yates was in the Northern Region to launch the Opportunities Industrialisation Centre International Development Assistance Programme (OICI/DAP), signed the Democratic and Human Rights Fund and Ambassador's Special Self-Help Programme agreement with NGOs, institutions and community-based groups.

She also inaugurated the Ghana-US Resource Centre in Tamale. Professor Ibrahimah said polytechnic education has a lot to offer the youth in terms of job opportunities and technological advancement and urged the government to focus more attention to it.

The Principal said the main road leading the Polytechnic was in a very deplorable condition and called for assistance to get the road tarred. Briefing Mrs Yates on the difficulties and progress of the UDS, the Vice Chancellor, Professor John B.K. Kaburise said degrees awarded by the UDS were a departure from the traditional ones.

He said programmes of the University were integrated and development-oriented and based on community participatory approaches to teaching and learning.

The Vice Chancellor said the US Embassy had been very helpful and that some university staff had benefited from the Fulbright International Centre Programme (FICP) for the training of the staff. Replying, Mrs Yates said the US Embassy had plans to support any feasible programmes of the University through grants and educational exchanges.

She advised the University to take advantage of the existing OICI and the Ghana-US Resource Centre to enhance the capacity of the lecturers.