Professor Sampson Agodzo, Rector of the Wa Polytechnic, has advised teachers of the school to undertake more research and innovations in order to become more competitive. In recognition of this new development, he said the government now pays book and research allowances to the teaching staff and that should therefore not be taken for granted. Mr Agodzo said this at the second annual research conference of the Polytechnic at Wa. It was under the theme; “The role of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Ghana’s quest for industrialization”. The conference was launched last year to encourage the teaching staff of the Polytechnic to undertake research and to provide a platform for them to present their research findings in line with the Polytechnic law. The law requires the Polytechnics to undertake applied research that would particularly help in solving problems of the communities in which they are located. Prof Agodzo pointed out that the current trends of employment in the tertiary institutions did not guarantee job for life unless one was seen to be contributing to knowledge through research and innovation. Using Finland to buttress his point, he said the Scandinavian country started its educational reform in the 1990s and established 29 Polytechnics to help propel the industrialization agenda through research. He said at the time of the reform, Finland only exported paper products amounting to 40.1 percent of total exports and that after 10 years, the country’s exports now consisted of electronics amounting to nearly 46.3 percent of total exports. Among key products exported by Finland currently is NOKIA electronics, which has become a household name globally. Source: GNA