The National Council for Tertiary Education has put a temporary freeze on the submission of new programmes for approval because of Government’s plan to convert polytechnics to technical universities.

Consequently, the Wa Polytechnic is working on the curricula for courses in Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Laboratory Technology, Catering, Hotel/Institutional Management, Fashion Design and Modeling and Purchasing and Supply to be submitted immediately the temporary freeze is lifted.

Professor G.K.S. Aflakpui, Rector of the Wa Polytechnic said this at the fourth congregation of the school during which 446 graduates were awarded Higher National Diploma Certificates.

He said the school introduced two new programmes; Dispensing Technology and Industrial Art in October 2013.

Prof. Aflakpui said it was the aim of the school to improve on the educational standards of its lecturers but expressed disappointed that the Ghana Education Trust Fund reimbursement of staff who had pre-financed their graduate programmes was not forthcoming.

“The other challenge to our ambition is non-compliance to the provision in the statutes and other regulations on seeking approval to pursue further studies,” Prof. Aflakpui said.

He said work on infrastructure to convert the school into a technical university was hindered following the delay in the payment of contractors working on some of the school projects.

“For more than a year now certificates submitted by contractors working on the hall of residence for students, the library and the faculty building to the Ghana Education Trust Fund had not been paid,” he said.

Prof. Aflakpui appealed to Government to pay all outstanding debts owed to Japan Motors for the maintenance of two Nissan Pick-ups and a Nissan Patrol and the supply of office furniture by some contractors.

Prof. Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang, Minister of Education, in a speech read for her by Dr Daniel Peaulore, a Director at the Ministry of Education, said considering the unique role polytechnics played in national development, government would continue to pay more attention to help them achieve their mandate.

She said government was pursuing policies and programmes to enhance the capacities of the polytechnics to function and provide the needed human resource base of Ghana.

For this reason, government was studying the report by an eight-member technical committee it appointed last year to work out modalities and plans on the conversion of all polytechnics into technical universities.

Prof. Opoku Agyemang said government was aware of the challenges facing the Wa Polytechnic, especially the provision of infrastructure and equipment for some of its departments as well as the training of its critical staff.

She gave the assurance that despite the numerous challenges of the Ghana Education Trust Fund, it would take appropriate measures to address the needs of the school.