The Ministry of Education on Monday urged students of polytechnics to return to lectures while it took steps to respond to their demands for a review of the grading system.

In a statement signed by Mr Ahmed Ayuba, Public Relations Officer, the Ministry said the polytechnics would not continue to remain open at great cost to the nation when the boycott continued.

It said the Ministry was disappointed with "the very questionable, non-transparent and unprofessional manner" in which the Ghana National Union of Polytechnic Students (GNUPS) had handled the negotiations arising from the implementation of the grading system.

"Events in the past few days have further vindicated the Ministry's position that the leadership of GNUPS must, in the interest of students and for quality education, adopt a more pragmatic, sober and objective position on the matter."

The statement said the Ministry, as a mark of its persistent willingness to continue to dialogue on the matter, convened a meeting with GNUPS on January 18. "It was decided by mutual consensus that a timetable be set on the various steps to be taken leading to a final decision on the matter by March 29, 2002."

The Ministry said GNUPS along with the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) and the National Board for Professional and Technician Examinations NABTEX agreed on the timetable and GNUPS said it would submit its proposal on the grading system by January 23.

"In agreeing to this timetable, the Ministry was convinced that in spite of the very painstaking efforts taken to ensure the smooth implementation of the grading system, further dialogue was necessary in order to ensure the resolution of differences in the matter.

"It, therefore, came as a shock to the Ministry when some executives of GNUPS publicly stated that the union was going ahead with its decision to boycott lectures." The statement said the Ministry considered the interest of students and the pursuit of quality education of utmost importance at all times.

"In this regard, the Ministry wishes to remind students of the significant sacrifices that the nation and their parents are making to ensure that they acquire the education necessary for the rapid socio-economic advancement of the country and their respective individual advancement and self-actualisation."

GNUPS last Monday said it would not accept any further negotiations concerning the new grading system in the polytechnics and gave the government 72 hours to withdraw it.

Mr Rashid Yakubu, National President of the Union, told a press conference: "If government does not react positively about the scraping of this killer grading system, the Union will not hesitate to advise its members accordingly thereafter."

The new grading system introduced last year by the NABPTEX pegged the pass mark at 50 per cent as against the previous 40 per cent. This, according to NABPTEX, was to raise the standard of polytechnics in the country to international levels.