Takoradi, June 27, GNA - Final year students of the Takoradi Polytechnic on Monday went on a five-hour demonstration to demand the refund of their Information Communication and Technology (ICT) fee of 210,000 cedis each.

They claimed that though they paid the money since November 2004 and have barely four weeks to complete their various programmes at the school, the centre is not operational.

Mr Samuel Ampori-Ofori, Principal of the school, explained that the ICT equipment had been assembled but the inability to procure a separate transformer for the centre had prevented students from using it. He said the purchase and installation of a transformer had been awarded on contract and urged the students to wait for a decision from the Polytechnic Council by June 30.

Mr Ampori-Ofori said though the students were demanding their monies back, the final decision lie with the Council.

He said though most of the final and continuing students were demonstrating only Higher National Diploma students paid the ICT fees. Mrs Angelina Baiden-Amissah, the Deputy Minister of Education, urged the students to think of the long-term benefits of the ICT centre and advised them to exhaust all avenues for redress before embarking on demonstrations.