Upper West Minister Cautions Wa Polytechnic Students

Dr. Ephraim Avea Nsoh

The Upper West Regional Minister, Dr. Ephraim Avea Nsoh, has advised students of the Wa Polytechnic to embark on activities that would benefit them and the society, and not do things that are dangerous and harmful to their lives and livelihoods.

He said: "I will neither want to hear nor see any accident happening as a result of your SRC week celebration, and that Ghana needs each and every one of you, and we cannot afford to lose you."

Dr. Nsoh said there was the need for co-operation between the government and the various unions such as University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) and Polytechnic Teachers Association of Ghana (POTAG), to make it possible for the government to continue to support educational institutions, to create the necessary environment for effective teaching and learning.

Dr. Nsoh appealed to UTAG and POTAG to always use negotiation and other formal channels in exacting their demands, instead of strike actions, which were not healthy for our nascent economy and body politic.

He urged the students to support the school authorities to deliver on their mandate of training students to be useful assets for national development.

Dr. Nsoh stressed the need for a partnership between industry and our educational institutions, so that students can have the opportunity to put into practice what they study while in school.

He further said that private businessmen should be used by school authorities, not only to deliver lectures on practical issues that relate the industry, but share with students the opportunities and challenges of starting their own businesses.

The Minister said Polytechnic graduates are to be trained to use their minds and hands to solve problems in society, but noted that the polytechnics had now shifted their focus to training people who use only their minds, which are what the universities are meant for.

Dr. Nsoh added that polytechnic education was completely lost, and that was high time that perception was corrected, to allow the polytechnics to concentrate on their core mandate of training people to use both their minds and hands to work.

He mentioned the unprecedented infrastructural educational sector, of which the Wa Polytechnic is not exception, having awarded the Engineering Faculty construction work, which was progressing.

Dr. Nsoh pointed out that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government was committed to expanding and developing education to make it more accessible, affordable, and meaningful to all, irrespective of one's economic standing, and harness the potentials of the citizenry for national development.

The SRC President, Mr. Galaah Furgeson, appealed to the Regional Minister to help the school revamp its radio transmitter for its local radio station, which has been out of use for almost a year now.