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Polytechnic education has contributed
significantly to the development process of some countries. Indeed, in the
advance world technical and vocation graduates has been played a pivotal role
in the nation building-putting up new innovation and ideas to solve
environmental issues.
A developed country is sometimes rated with the
quality graduates from the technical field who are on the field ensuring
stability, improving standard among competition.
In Ghana, the Debate of ensure effectiveness of
Polytechnic education has been started as some expert are calling on government
to allow the polytechnics to award degree programmers.
Parliament in 2009 passed the ‘Polytechnic
bill’ recognized the country’s ten Polytechnics as technical institutions with
proper organizational management structures and academic validation procedures
to run bachelor of technology degree courses but since then degree programmes
have not been listed in the institutions.
The
Deputy Minister for Education in charge of tertiary institutions Mahama Ayariga
has stated unequivocally that government would continue to consider calls by
stakeholders to make polytechnics degree awarding institutions but with
caution.
According
to him, government was being cautious because, it did not want the situation
whereby the opportunity would be granted and the polytechnics began to behave
like universities that were established to run certain academic programmes but
later on decided to digress into other areas of learning, thereby defeating the
purpose for which they were established.
Mr.
Mahama Ayariga pledged that he would rather personally support the introduction
of degree programmes in the area of technical and vocational courses in
addition to the science courses that are already in place and not for all other
programmes.
The
Chairman of the Conference of Rectors of Polytechnics (CORP) Reverend Professor
Daniel A. Nyarko admitted, that in recent times polytechnics had been severely
criticized that they were deviating from their core mandate of providing
training for the middle-level manpower requirements of the nation.
This
assertion, he said, tends to overlook the full potentials of the polytechnics
as tertiary institutions, adding that, it rather seems to suggest that
polytechnics were running courses that were either not approved or were outside
their mandate. “In all humility, I wish to state that this is not the case. The
polytechnics are running programs or courses that are approved by the
regulatory authorities” he declared.
Rev.
Prof. Nyarko who is also the Rector of the Accra Polytechnic indicated that
polytechnics were empowered by law to award Higher National Diplomas (HNDs),
Diplomas, Certificates and Degrees, arguing that polytechnics were not
established and confined to providing training only at HND level.
The
Chairman of CORP reiterated calls to make polytechnics in Ghana degree awarding
institutions because international best practices gave that indication.
“Other
polytechnics in Europe and elsewhere have expanded their scope beyond the
classical diploma programmes and have all become universities offering
programmes up to doctoral level. That is what polytechnics in Ghana should be
encouraged and resourced to do. The advantage is that it will offer an
alternative avenue for higher education, especially for the technical and
vocational graduates”, he stated.
Former
President of the Polytechnic Teachers Association (POTAG) Mr Godfred Agbedu
told Property
Express that awarding Degrees to Polytechnics will rather enhance
productive and increase enrollment at the various institutions.
He
stated that the Polytechnic are empowered to award Masters Programs but because
of the lack of technological advancement the institution is not in position to
go that far.
Mr
Godfred Agbedu emphasized that education in the polytechnic institutions will
improve to it best across the West African sub-region if government boldly
allow the institution to award degree programmes.
He
stressed that countries like South Korea, Japan, and China have been able to
advance because of investment in technical and vocational education.
By:
Samuel Mantey
Email:
Sammyoo3@yahoo.com
Twitter:
SamuelMantey
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