Kumasi, Jan. 22, GNA - The World Bank has under its Teaching and Learning Improvement Fund (TALIF) released more than 2.2 billion cedis in support of improvement of various educational facilities at the Kumasi Polytechnic.

Dr Lord E. Asamoah, Principal of the Kumasi Polytechnic who announced this, said the funds would be channelled particularly into improving the quality of academic facilities and enhancement of other teaching and learning facilities at the institution. Dr Asamoah was addressing the 2004/2005-matriculation ceremony of the Kumasi Polytechnic in Kumasi on Saturday at which 1,649 fresh students were formally admitted.

Out of the number, 533 representing 32 per cent were women while 1,116 or 68 per cent were men.

The Principal observed that even though 2,725 applicants qualified for admission, "we had to scale it down to 1,649 because of the lack of adequate facilities".

Dr Asamoah said apart from assistance from the World Bank the institution also benefited from support packages from the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) and other internally generated funds for the improvement of facilities.

He mentioned a library, which was constructed through the joint initiative of the GETFund and internally generated funds as one of the key achievements of the collaborative effort.

The Principal disclosed that apart from assisting in various facets of development of the institution, the GETFund had also allocated half a billion cedis for the procurement of relevant books and journals to stock the library, which he described as one of the best in tertiary institutions in the country.

Dr Asamoah said despite its massive contributions to the improvement and development of the polytechnic, the GETFund had still provided two billion cedis to the School of Engineering to be used in the replacement of old equipment at the workshops.

He lauded the intervention of the GETFund and World Bank, which he said had made it possible for K-Poly to achieve objective of its five-year development plan, which ended last year.