Takoradi (Western Region) --A group at the Takoradi Polytechnic calling themselves "Very Concerned Polytechnic Students" on Monday called on policy makers not to allow themselves to be influenced by politics when considering grievances of polytechnic students.

A press release from the group signed by Miss Felicia Asare, spokesperson and Mr. Emmanuel Arthur, deputy spokesperson, said it is bad to mixed politics with genuine problems of students and an act of cruelty to be insensitive to the plight of students.

The group said it fully supports the leadership of the Ghana National Union of Polytechnic students (GNUPS) and endorsed its efforts in addressing problems of polytechnic students.

It said the introduction of Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes in polytechnics has brought in its wake problems such as academic progressions, job placements and infrastructural development for HND students and graduates.

The group said attempts to solve these problems with the educational authorities and stakeholders of education have proved futile and have resulted in strike actions by HND students almost every year.

The group said GNUPS has always heeded the pleas of opinion leaders and identifiable groups to call off the strike action while negotiations continue to get problems solved.

"As soon as the students go back to the lecture halls, authorities seem to forget the plight of HND students as if they were just interested only in having them back into the lecture halls", it said.

The group advised executives of Students Representative Councils of the polytechnics that they were elected by the students to push forward their interest so they should stop serving their personal interests and not to allow politicians to use them for their own ends.