The Eastern Regional Minister, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo has reiterated appeals to members of the Polytechnic Teachers Association of Ghana (POTAG), to consider returning to the lecture halls while the government takes steps to resolve their grievances. Speaking at the investiture of the newly appointed Rector of Koforidua Polytechnic, Professor Reynolds Okai at Koforidua in the Eastern Region, Mr, Ofosu Ampofo said POTAG members should consider returning to the lecture halls to continue academic work and that the government will not hesitate to resolve all their outstanding labour issues. Samuel Ofosu Ampofo also added that polytechnics in the country should endeavour to institute scholarships for brilliant but needy students to acquire polytechnic education. The regional minister also called on authorities of polytechnics to find ways of dealing with societal challenges such as environmental degradation, and provide technical support to Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies in the areas of engineering and other fields to speed up the nation’s development process. He mentioned the continuous charcoal burning and destruction of forests in the Afram Plains as a challenge that needs stakeholders involvement in seeking a lasting solution. The newly appointed Rector of the Koforidua Polytechnic, Reynolds Okine, pledged to use his tenure of office to transform the institution into a full-fledged Polytechnic University, comparable to any kind in the world. Story by Benjamin Henaku, Koforidua/Myjoyonline