Suspend policy rejecting applicants with grades D7, E8 – POTAG From: Ghana | Radio Maxx | Ebenezer Afanyi! Dadzie Published On: September 18, 2013, 12:00 GMT The leadership of the Takoradi Polytechnic branch of the Polytechnic Teachers Association of Ghana, POTAG, is calling for a suspension of the directive asking tertiary educational institutions not to admit applicants with D7 and E8 grades. The lecturers say the decision was taken hurriedly without any viable research and must be reconsidered. According to the lecturers, data available to them indicates that “the unpopular, unprogressive, antiquated and prehistoric policy, has affected admission for 2013/2014 into the Polytechnics”. The Takoradi POTAG executives are of the view that “the rationale for Polytechnic education, is to produce the Critical-Middle-Level Manpower for the country, which means polytechnics are required to train people to acquire practical skills, develop entrepreneurial skills and as such students/ candidates with D7 or E8 can do several programmes at the Polytechnic”. They also noted that grades D7 and D8, are pass grades according to the West African Examinations Council, WAEC, and so it was mind-boggling for the National Accreditation Board, to disregard those grades. The President of the Takoradi Polytechnic POTAG Branch, Michael Appiah, has thus called on the National Accreditation Board and the National Council for Tertiary Education to immediately reconsider their decision to allow more people to pursue higher education. He revealed that academic records available to them indicate that candidates with D7 and D8 results were performing well in their various areas. “POTAG Takoradi wholeheartedly supports establishing and enforcing quality in education, but believes opportunity should be given to all young people with ambition to pursue advanced higher education with the required grades that meets the cut-off point of aggregate 30. We are asking the National Union of Ghana Students, the Ghana National Union of Polytechnic students and parents to come together agents this unpopular policy to be abolished by the National Accreditation Board and the National Council for Tertiary Education. "There are some people in academia and even in industry in this country, who in their time entered the University with two Es at A-level, but have become what they are through hard work and perseverance. Therefore we are asking that all such persons join hands against this policy”. In an interview with Maxx News , he emphasized the need for policy makers to consider the uniqueness of the polytechnic system before taking decisions that can affect its mode of operations. “There wasn’t any scientific research to come out with such a policy. If there had been such a research, they would have considered some of the issues we have raised. And to even add that for departments that are not able to admit students should be closed down, then we you should know the mentality of those coming out with this policy. "It’s very archaic and antiquated, and it’s not going to affect the polytechnics alone but the country at large. We are not asking for a compromise in the quality of education. All we are saying is that, we should look at the Polytechnic system again, and know that we cannot use traditional subjects like English to disqualify somebody who wants to and pursue a programme in furniture or building,” he explained. “It is incomprehensible that a candidate with C6 in all subjects – 3 core and -3 electives (Aggregate 36) per the policy at the moment, is more qualified and better than a candidate with 5-A1’s and 1 D7 (Aggregate 12), or to another candidate with 5-B2’s and 1-D7 (Aggregate 17), this is ridiculous. We are of the view that this equity policy is discouraging, unprogressive and an attempt to deny a large number of Polytechnic applicants’ admission”. The POTAG Takoradi Polytechnic Branch President further gave an example of a fine professor, who was denied entry into a Ghanaian university because he had a grade 7 in English at ‘O’ Level as a mathematics student, but went abroad to study to become one of the best Statistician Ghana has ever produced. “This is the sort of irony we are faced with. And so Takoradi Polytechnic POTAG Local respectfully insists that the policy directive be suspended and proper stakeholder consultations done to find a lasting and not an ad hoc solution to this”. A representative of the Ghana National Union of Polytechnic Students, GNUPS, Joshua Tetteh, who spoke to Maxx News said they share the view of their lecturers and would join the campaign against the policy. “Normally we always hear of POTAG clamoring for allowance or delayed salaries. But to go the extra mile to raise this issue is commendable. The policy is in a way not going to be favorable. If we should sit and watch this happen, it could collapse the Polytechnics and we wouldn’t want that as a country. "It’s a good action and we as students and student leaders too will do our part to eradicate such a policy. We hope it ends up favorable, otherwise we may have to hold a street demonstration in that regard” he noted.
Posted on: Wed, 18 Sep 2013 14:09:11 +0000