Regional News of Tuesday, 24 January 2006

Source: GNA

Give vehicle-testing function to polytechnics - Principal

Wa, Jan 24, GNA - Professor Sampson Agodzo, the Principal of the Wa Polytechnic, has appealed to the government to give the responsibility of examining and testing vehicles to the polytechnics when that function is eventually divested from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) as proposed.

He said polytechnics offering automobile engineering programmes had well-organized garages to carry out that function and the fees to be collected for rendering such services could supplement the resources of the polytechnics.

Prof Agodzo said this when Japan Motors Trading Company presented two motorbikes and two computers all valued at 50 million cedis to the Wa Polytechnic.

Prof Jacob Songsore, the Chairman of the Polytechnic Council, urged industry to support the polytechnics to produce skilled personnel who would be relevant to the manpower needs of their communities.

Industrial establishments, he suggested, could off-load some of their disused equipment and cannibalised products for practical lessons, which in the end, could help train competent technicians for such goods and products to boost their patronage in the communities.

He commended Japan Motors for setting the pace in the polytechnic's desire to forge partnerships with industry and expressed the hope that it was the beginning of their continuous support to enable the Wa polytechnic to achieve its ambition of becoming an excellent centre for the acquisition of skills for industry.

Mr Alhassan Mahama, Kumasi Branch Manager of Japan Motor, who presented the items, said the company already had a working relationship with Kumasi Polytechnic and they would consider bringing the Wa polytechnic on board. 24 Jan 06