Stakeholders in the education sector are set to meet early next month to discuss a draft bill on transforming polytechnics into technical universities.

According to the Deputy Education Minister for Tertiary Education, Okudzeto Ablakwa, there would be a stakeholder consultation on the draft bill on January 8, 2015 after which “we would have made substantial progress on the conversion of our polytechnics into technical universities.”

The bill, he added, “we will send it to parliament and that would see us have a new focus for our polytechnics as they become technical universities.”  

The conversion of polytechnics into technical universities, the deputy minister said, is part of government’s plans for the education sector next year.

Mr. Ablakwa told Joy News the actual construction of the University of Environment and Sustainable Development in the Eastern region would also start next year.

“It is in 2015 that we expect that we will have begun construction of the university in the Eastern region so that all 10 regions in Ghana will have a public university,” he said.

Mr. Ablakwa added that the government is hoping that the bill for the university, which is now in parliament would be “passed into an act and we will be able to have the green light to commence actual construction.”

The Deputy Education Minister reiterated that the progressive free secondary education will start in 2015, assuring that the first 50 of 200 senior high schools promised would be completed.”

Work on 10 new colleges of education is also expected to start next year, he said.