General News of Wednesday, 19 May 2010

Source: joyonline

Kumasi Poly shut down indefinitely

Authorities of the Kumasi Polytechnic have shut down the school indefinitely.

They have also issued a Wednesday deadline for the students to vacate the premises or be forcefully evicted.

This follows protests by the final year students demanding a refund of monies paid for ICT training, but which the students contend they never had.

The students claim they have been paying GH¢ 45.00 for three years but have not received the training promised by the authorities.

Speaking to Joy FM correspondent, Elton John Brobbey, the students claim several attempts to get explanation from the authorities have been futile.

The authorities were however not available for comment as the administration block remains locked and deserted, Brobbey confirmed.

The controversy over the ICT training has simmered for a while and led to the axing of the former director of the Polytechnic, Dr Prah late last year.

The Polytechnic Teachers Association (POTAG) issued an ultimatum to have Dr Prah axed from office, accusing the former Director of not following procurement procedures in awarding the ICT contract.

Several months after his axing, the problem seemed not to have been resolved and the students are demanding the refund of their monies before they graduate.

The final year students were denied the right to write one of their exams on Monday following persistent protests and were asked to go home before midday, Wednesday.

But some of the students say they are stranded and do not even have money for transportation to their various destinations.