The new Rector of Wa Polytechnic, at the weekend expressed his commitment to recruit qualified staff to facilitate the vision of transforming the school into a world class centre of applied technology. Dr Godwin Aflakpui, who was a Chief Research Scientist at the Crops Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, succeeded Professor Sampson Agodzo. Prof Jacob Songsore, Chairman of the Governing Council of the polytechnic administered the induction oath. Dr Aflakpui said the polytechnic would engage teaching staff who were holders of masters’ degree, stressing: “The days of recruiting staff without masters’ degrees are dead and gone.” He said the school would assist the teaching staff without the requisite qualifications to upgrade themselves to remain as faculty members. “We should all remember that we are in stiff competition and some of our competitors in the tertiary education service classification have raised the bar for their entry level of lecturers or researchers from masters to doctorate degrees.” Dr Aflakpui, the third Rector since the establishment of the polytechnic in 1999 said his priority would be to implement, review and redevelop the strategic plan of the school through participatory planning and action, monitoring evaluation. He called on the staff of the polytechnic to play their roles diligently and effectively, warning that the axe would descend heavily on those who would sabotage the progress of the institution. He commended the founding fathers of the polytechnic for their sacrifices in developing the academic entity from its humble beginning in rented premises. “As a rector, I am not here to reinvent the wheel but to see that it is well aligned, greased and maintained on schedule so that it can take us to our destination. “I shall be friendly, calm, gentle but resolute and solid as a rock in the pursuit of excellence in achieving our vision and corporate strategic plan,” he said. Alhaji Issahaku Salia, Upper West Regional Minister appealed to the polytechnic to design short programmes specifically tailored to improve the capacity of small enterprises in the area. In this modern era the business community in the region need to develop their skills in order to be competitive, he stated. He said the move would mitigate the poverty situation in the area, in line with the mission of the Polytechnic and the government. Source: GNA