Sunyani(BA), Sept. 26, GNA - Nana Fosu Gyeabour II, Paramount Chief of Bechem Traditional Area on Wednesday called on government to improve conditions of service of Polytechnic Teachers to help to produce quality human resource base needed for national development.

"The only way to propel the nation to a middle income level status depends on polytechnic education," he added. Nana Gyeabour made the call when addressing the annual delegates' congress of Ghana Polytechnic Teachers Association (POTAG) in Sunyani. It is under the theme: "The Polytechnic Teacher And The New Education Reform."

He advised members of the association to use dialogue and negotiations rather than resorting to industrial action in their quest for improved conditions of service.

Nana Gyeabour noted that sustainability of the new educational reform at the tertiary level depended on polytechnic teachers, hence the need to acknowledge their challenges for redress.

Mr Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister, pledged government's commitment and preparedness to ensure an effective human capital base to promote industrialization.

He stressed the importance to nurture and sustain the country's basic technical skills for better quality of life for the people. Mr Baffour-Awuah expressed concern about lack of competent staff and inadequate technical tools and equipment in polytechnics that were hampering effective teaching and learning.

He debunked the notion that vocational and technical education was meant for low achievers and underscored the need for a high comprehensive technical expertise needed for national development. Mr Richard Nkrumah, President of POTAG, debunked the notion that POTAG was a 'striking association' saying "it is only when all letters, appeals and consultation behind the scenes for peaceful solutions fail that POTAG resorts to industrial actions".

He regretted that within the last seven years, 63 lecturers had left Sunyani Polytechnic to other tertiary institutions for better conditions of service and called on the National Labour Commission to ensure the finalization of negotiations with POTAG to ensure stability in the country's polytechnics.