Polytechnics shunned for private universities

Students’ enrollment into polytechnics is fast dwindling due the increasing number of private universities which have the same entry requirements as polytechnics, Dr. Isaac Kwasi Asamoah, Chairman of Sunyani Polytechnic Council, has observed.

He said: “Naturally, students would prefer attending private universities where after completion they will be awarded first degrees instead of Higher National Diploma (HND) and certificates at the polytechnics”.

Students’ growing preference for private universities, Dr. Asamoah indicated, has affected polytechnics’ internally-generated revenue to supplement government funding in undertaking infrastructural projects.

Dr. Asamoah shared this observation at the 7th congregation ceremony of Sunyani Polytechnic, where a total of 1,456 students were presented with HNDs in engineering; business and management studies; applied science and technology; and certificates at the non-tertiary levels.

In order to considerably improve the situation for polytechnics, he advocated continuation of the access course that was run during the 2013/2014 academic year for students with grades D7 and E8 in their core subjects to help widen the admission net.

“For the science and technical courses, government should ensure that all the 200 new community senior high schools to be established have science streams. This will make it possible for the community SHSs to train more science products every year to feed the polytechnics and other science-related tertiary institutions,” he added.

On infrastructural challenges, Dr. Asamoah mentioned inadequate lecture halls, offices and housing accommodation for staff, hostel accommodation, computer laboratories and workshops as some pressing needs for the Sunyani Polytechnic.

He appealed to government to as a matter of concern make funds available for the establishment of more laboratories and workshops to make teaching and learning more effective and practicable, and thus reflect its core mandate of training useful middle-level human resources.