Tertiary Institutions would shortly be ranked by the National Council on Tertiary Education (NCTE). The ranking would take account of Applied Research, Relevance of Programmes to National Development and Income Generation. Mr Paul Dzandu, Deputy Executive Secretary NCTE, hinted in his introductory remarks to a speech he read on behalf of the Minister of Education, Mrs Betty Mould-Iddrisu, at the 11th Congregation of Ho Polytechnic on Saturday. A total of 1,167 students who completed their courses in 2010 were awarded Degrees and Higher National Diplomas (HND) with eight of the HND graduates obtaining first class. Mrs Betty Mould-Iddrisu, commended the Ho Polytechnic for blazing the trail for Competency Based Training (CBT) in the country. Competency Based Training places emphasis on hands-on practical training with theory to help students understand the principles and processes underlying the practical work, Dr. Jakpasu V.K. Afun, Rector of the Polytechnic explained. Mrs Mould-Iddrisu said that approach was the best for turning out professionals with the right orientation for the job market and entrepreneurship. She pledged government’s support for such initiatives and appealed to industry to offer practical training opportunities and material support to institutions to take up that approach to training professionals for the country. Mrs Mould-Iddrisu said the government was committed to discussing the road map for improved and sustainable conditions of service of the polytechnics and further improvements in their infrastructure. She exhorted the new graduates to consider setting up small businesses by taking advantage of schemes instituted by the government to support small scale entrepreneurs. Professor Anthony A. Adimado, Chairman of the Ho Polytechnic Council, expressed hope that the Single Spine Salary Structure would remedy the poor conditions of service in the Polytechnics and appealed to them to show restraint and decorum when negotiating for better conditions of service. On discipline, he said: “The Polytechnic would not countenance any acts of indiscipline and hooliganism and would take all the necessary measures to ensure that sanity and discipline prevail in this institution.” In his report, Dr Afun said the Polytechnic had taken on new collaborative programmes with sister institutions abroad to broaden opportunities for students and lecturers to upgrade and expand their professional outlook. He called on industry to consider the establishment of a one million Ghana Cedi endowment fund for the Polytechnic. “All we need is greater collaboration between the producing polytechnics and the consuming Industries,” he said Dr Afun said: “The greatest challenge facing the Polytechnic is its inability to attract, recruit and retain high calibre staff” because of poor service conditions. He said the Polytechnic’s infrastructure needed to be expanded. “From the entrance, Ho Polytechnic is the most beautiful of all the Polytechnic campuses,” he observed. “The truth is that it is all we have. The rest is an old creaking technical school.” Dr Afun tasked the new graduates to be worthy ambassadors of the Polytechnic in the world of work. “Let your employers and colleagues at workplaces, say a positive “No Wonder”, when they get to know your alma mater.” “If you must behave, please do only those things that will affect you only with no spill over to your family, nation and least of all the Polytechnic,” he admonished. Source: GNA