T-poly students boycott lectures

Takoradi (Western Region) -- Higher National Diploma (HND) students of the Takoradi Polytechnic on Friday, decided to boycott lectures indefinitely. The boycott is to back demands for the review of the grading system in polytechnics introduced this year.

Mr Senyo Ganah, Students Representative Council (SRC) Secretary told the Ghana News Agency at Takoradi, that about 3,000 first and second year students of the school were likely to be dismissed "if the new grading system is fully implemented".

Mr Ganah explained that though they were boycotting lectures, they would remain on campus and wait for the government's response. Many first and second year HND students told GNA that the new grading system was "unrealistic".

On January 14th, the Ghana National Union of Polytechnic Students (GNUPS) gave the government a 72-hour ultimatum, to scrap the new grading system or "the students would advise themselves".

The GNUPS described the new grading system as a "killer grading System" adding that it was convince that the Ministry of Education and the National Board For Professional and Technical Examinations (NABPTEX) by that policy, was depriving the HND graduates of further studies based on the grading performance assessment (GPA) and the performance of students in their final examinations.