Koforidua Polytechnic now University of Technology

The Koforidua Polytechnic is now Koforidua University of Technology as it is the second after the Takoradi Polytechnic to meet the conversion criteria.

President John Mahama, as part of his working tour of the Eastern region inaugurated an engineering block to kick start the Technical course in the university.http://ghanapoliticsonline.com

The faculty of Engineering has five well equipped laboratories, ten workshops, a conference hall and a lecture hall among others.

The Koforidua Polytechnic is therefore among the first six polytechnics to become technical universities beginning next academic year.

President Mahama, stated that government is still committed to ensuring that the youth is prepared for the job market as part of the transforming lives agenda.

The idea to convert the country’s Polytechnics into Technical universities is a fulfilment of a major campaign promise.

It also falls largely under the vision of changing lives and transforming Ghana agenda of government.

It has become obvious that what industry needs now is people with technical skills.

To be known as the Koforidua University of Technology, the institution hopes to focus on equipping students with skills that are relevant to today’s world of work.

The conversion will also enable the school to increase admission by thirty percent.

Before President Mahama, arrived to declare the conversion of the Polytechnic into a University, the atmosphere was charged as students and some lecturers alike danced their hearts out.

The main entrance to the Institution had boldly written on it Koforidua University of Technology.

The Rector of the institution is Professor Smile Dzisseh.

She is the first female rector of a polytechnic in Ghana. Professor Dzisseh, expressed gratitude to government for a number of developmental projects. She however said with the conversion a lot more facilities are needed.

President Mahama, stated that the conversion of the country’s polytechnics into technical universities is not to imitate the public universities but rather to get a lot more young people equipped technically.

He asked the Heads of institutions to stick to that mandate.

Admissions into the faculty of engineering starts next academic year. The Ghana Education Service says there are about two thousand five hundred vacancies for Mathematics and Science teachers.

So far it has received eighteen thousand applications which would be shortlisted and the selected would be employed into the system.