The Chairman of the Governing Council of the Tamale Polytechnic, Dr. Seidu Mohammed Mustapha has said he was delighted for first time that the polytechnic is graduating students in less than one year after they complete their studies.
According to Dr. Mustapha, since the inauguration of the current governing council, it has been working hard closely with the academic board to ensure that T. Poly students receive their certificates as early as possible. He congratulated the rector, Dr. Abdulai Salifu Asuro and his team for the tremendous effort they put in the project.
Tamale Polytechnic is the only one in Ghana at the moment which still has a technical school subsumed under a polytechnic; Dr Mustapha stated. He said, as a result of this peculiar nature, a large portion of its staff does not have second degrees.
The council chairman therefore appealed to GETFund to increase the polytechnic’s share of the staff Development Fund to enable the school train many of the staff, at least to the second degree level.
Speaking at the seventh congregation in Tamale, Dr Mustapha said the council has resolved to work more closely with the academic board and NAPBTEX to ensure that, the 2013 group receives their certificates within three months of completion.
The council chairman commended government for the bold steps taken to see to the implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) which he said is making some staff who left to universities to return.
Dr Mustapha said T. Poly council is grateful to government and GETFund for immense infrastructure development and appealed for more support to complete six other on-going projects which are in advance stages of completion.
According to Dr. Mustapha, the council has always encouraged management to complement government efforts by financing some developmental projects from their internal generated funds (IGF). The council chairman identified encroachment of the school land as one of the major challenge.
The polytechnic is collaborating with other institutions within education Ridge to ensure that the lands of the whole of the Ridge are properly secured, while at the same time discussing strategies for a fence wall around the polytechnic itself; Dr Mustapha assured management. He however stated that, it is an expensive venture which needs both government and donor community support to accomplish it.
He reminded gradaunds that the graduation marks the beginning of another journey, a more serious journey into the field of work.
Dr Mustapha urged the graduands to be worthy ambassadors of Tamale polytechnic and endeavor to use the knowledge acquired during their life time in the school, and all the opportunities to make a good life for themselves, families and mother Ghana.
A total of one thousand, eight hundred and seventeen (1,817) for 2011-2012 academic year graduated from various disciplines with Higher National Diploma (HND) certificates in accountancy, marketing, mechanical and agric engineering, statistics, building and technology among others.
The school is currently running ten NHD programs while plans are far advanced to introduce four more NHD and two Bachelor of technology programs next academic year.
