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• asuo 10 years ago

  Dr.Okoampa-Ahoofe, are you really serious? what are we to make of this article? You should go back and read over, maybe you will realize the disservice you are doing to readers. I guess you must be bored and feel like treatin ...
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  Dr.Okoampa-Ahoofe, are you really serious? what are we to make of this article? You should go back and read over, maybe you will realize the disservice you are doing to readers. I guess you must be bored and feel like treating readers with any disjointed thoughts you might have. If you have nothing better to offer, leave the space for others.

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• Abeeku Mensah 10 years ago

  There are no rules and or a sacrosanct road map for anyone to become an effective leader full of wisdom and foresight and above or beyond reproach; none Dr. Kwame even in your delusions. If what people do/did or did not do in ...
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  There are no rules and or a sacrosanct road map for anyone to become an effective leader full of wisdom and foresight and above or beyond reproach; none Dr. Kwame even in your delusions. If what people do/did or did not do in Ghana's secondary boarding houses were a predictor of their future prospects people like you Dr. Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe would have been relegated to a classroom educated bushman which fits you to the nines.
  
  This notion and delusional belief amongst Ghana's classroom educated bunch with doctorate degree to think everyone in Ghana should defer wisdom to you is not an idiotic wishful thinking but have not panned out. Do a hall monitor, dining hall prefect, dormitory master and principals/head masters and mistresses not learn or acquire the skills of management, dispute resolution and or make decisions that affect an entire student body? Could a dining hall prefect on an ego trip not delay the dining time of an entire school with or without reason (granted there may be consequences for action taken)? If you, Dr. Kwame. can be proud of a nickel and dime lecture post at your former employment so can anyone who saw benefits come out of what made them who they are even if from a high school post. You seem not to have earned or learned much in your past or present; ignorance is bliss.

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• Ekow 10 years ago

  No competent president will appoint those people as ministers in his cabinet, not even a poverty-stricken country like Togo or Benin. It shows the kind of people in your part of the world. Its really a shame that Mahama has r ...
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  No competent president will appoint those people as ministers in his cabinet, not even a poverty-stricken country like Togo or Benin. It shows the kind of people in your part of the world. Its really a shame that Mahama has reduced this country to this level

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• Amoakoh Gyasi 10 years ago

  The rector position of Koforidua Polytechnic became vacant on 1st November 2014, as recorded at the school’s website. However, the current council, made of Professor Dawson (Chairperson) of UG Legon, Professor Albert Addo-Q ...
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  The rector position of Koforidua Polytechnic became vacant on 1st November 2014, as recorded at the school’s website. However, the current council, made of Professor Dawson (Chairperson) of UG Legon, Professor Albert Addo-Quaye (President of Anglican University College), Mr. Richard Asante-Amoah of Strat Group of Companies, Mr. Richard Okra of Intavenous Infusions Ltd. and Mr. Abankwa, kept the position vacant for six good months. During this six-month leaderless period, there have been speculations of anarchy, mismanagement and looting of funds from the school’s coffers. This is one of the reasons why President Mahama needs to dissolve the current council of Koforidua Polytechnic because it has demonstrated incompetence and unpatriotic behavior.
  
  The council composed a selection committee of seven people to oversee the appointment of the next rector. At least three of the members of the committee are employees of the polytechnic (incl. Mr. Aheto and Dr. Regina), one (i.e. Ms. Phyllis Tetteh) of which served as the secretary to the committee. Further, there was a student representative on the committee. I was told that one of the three people shortlisted for the interview pulled out in the last minute. Therefore, only Dr. Smile Dzisi (a senior lecturer at the polytechnic) and I were interviewed. Probing from the questions posed to me by the workers of the polytechnic, it was clear that all of them were poised to favor my competitor. One interviewer currently employed by the polytechnic asked me this question “wouldn’t you walk over us if you were appointed rector because of your high-ranking international profile?” It may be noted that no indication of “internal person” appeared in the criteria expected on the appointee in the advertisement placed by the polytechnic. Yet, that was the most important criteria the council has used for the appointment.
  Conflict of interest is one of the most important human resource criteria on the appointment of employees, especially to public institutions. Yet, none of the council members seems to be privy about it. How can you expect fairness when the selection committee is predominantly made of people favoring one applicant? This is the second proof that the current council of Koforidua Polytechnic is incompetent and thus must be dissolved by President Mahama. The conflict of interest also serves as another reason why President Mahama has to revoke any recommendation to appoint Dr. Smile Dzisi as rector.
  
  Ghana government has decided to convert polytechnics to Technical Universities in 2016 which are expected to focus on science, technology and engineering disciplines for the development of Ghana’s industries. Yet, the current council has nominated an appointee who is into social science and thus has nothing to do with the key disciplines of the polytechnic. How could the council not get this right, although people with the right background like me applied for the job? This is the third proof that the council is incompetent and thus President Mahama has to dissolve it.
  Usually, if you go to hospitals medical doctors, but not nurses are the chief executives. If you go to churches pastors but not the laymen are the chief executives, and so on. Thus, a tertiary institute expected to employ people of all ranks should never be headed by a person below the rank of Associate Professor in this era. Such a person will never employ anyone of higher rank than herself. Therefore, the development of the polytechnic will be hindered severely. How could the council not get this right when some of the applicants were above senior lecturer and thus more professional seniors than its appointee? Tertiary institutes are expected to be the most internationally-oriented organization in every country and thus must be led by people with international profile, something which the council’s nominee lacks. This is the fourth proof that the council is incompetent and thus President Mahama has to dissolve it.
  If President John Dramani Mahama is really serious to combat crime and mismanagement in the public sector and achieve his Better Ghana Agenda then I expect him to set up an independent bipartisan committee to:
  
  1. Audit the funds of Koforidua Polytechnic between 1st November 2014 and 30 April 2015, and convict anyone found to have mismanaged or embezzled funds.
  
  2. Put injunction on the recommendation by the council to appoint Dr. Smile Dzisi as rector, and investigate into the procedures leading to such a recommendation. The resumes of all applicants for the position should be compared transparently against the selection criteria advertised by the polytechnic while soliciting applicants and appoint the best candidate out of them.
  
  3. Institute a national affirmative action which ensures that equity prevails in the appointment of executives to public institutions that are not political in nature. That’s the way to build the nation. That’s the way to provide all-inclusive governance. That’s the way for lasting integration and peace in Ghana. The tribal politics currently prevailing at Kdua polytechnic must be curtailed. I am appealing to Koforidua royals to step in this.
  
  4. Dissolve the current council of kdua poly because it has demonstrated incompetence.
  
  I am hereby appealing to all patriotic Ghanaians who have the interest of Ghana at heart to unite with me to fight in the courts of law this canker of preferring incompetent people over competent ones to lead our institutions. This is a fight of light against darkness, good against evil, and patriotism against unpatriotic behaviors. Please never think that it doesn’t concern you. If the current trend is not remedied then pretty soon you’ll go to hospital to meet a carpenter in the consulting room who will inject you fatally, you’ll go to court to meet a mason as judge, you’ll go to filling station and the attendant will fill your vehicle with kerosene or palm oil, and certificates will be sold on the market. I am also appealing to the kings and queens of Eastern Region and well-meaning students and staff of Koforidua Polytechnic to unite with me to ensure that an appropriate council governs the school with the appropriate rector. The workers of kdua poly who may support the current ridiculous council think like babies who want their parents to destroy their gum with sweets at childhood. You need a competent rector to motivate you to your next professional levels. You need a rector that will ensure good training to the students. Therefore, please renew your mind, especially those that threatened the council to appoint their favored person.
  
  Public positions in Ghana should be appointed based mainly on competence, but no egoistic criteria nor hate of some persons (a form of ethnic cleansing), as has been done at the nomination of an appointee to head kdua polytechnic. Ghana’s institutions deserve competent leaders to chart their further development.
  
  People who mismanage public institutions or who appoint incompetent people to responsible public positions should face the same treason charges laid on mercenaries engaged in coup d’état as they equally sabotage the country.
  Thank you.

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