The Tamale Polytechnic Branch of the Polytechnic Teachers Association of Ghana (POTAG) has expressed disappointment in governments failure to include the school in the list of polytechnics earmarked for conversion into technical universities.
Salifu Issahaku, the branch chairman, said they were unhappy concerning government’s disregard for a nationwide input by POTAG.
Read more: C - Poly students and alumni demonstrate over exclusion
According to him, the educational gap between the north and south of Ghana is wide and the non-inclusion of polytechnics in the north for conversion is a deliberate attempt by government to further deepen this gulf and a recipe to deny the north an opportunity for growth.
This comes at the time when the Cape Coast polytechnic is asking government to immediately begin processes leading to the conversion since every impediment that was hindering it from taking the move has been tackled.
The exclusion of Cape Coast polytechnic from the technical universities list has affected enrollment. This is the sentiment of angry students and alumni of the school who staged a protest on Wednesday, March 2, 2016.
See also: Gov't not doing a 'wholesale' conversion - Ablakwa tells C-Poly
The protesters blocked all roads leading to the school preventing even the rector of the school from entering the campus in his vehicle.
The Deputy Minister in-charge of Tertiary education, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has asked authorities of Cape Coast Polytechnic to remain calm and work towards satisfying the requirements of becoming a technical university.
Government has explained that it cannot convert all the polytechnics into a university because a Technical Committee set up to advice it on the conversion, recommended that the exercise must be done progressively to satisfy the requirements of becoming a technical university.
So far, six out of the ten polytechnics have made the cut for the conversion to technical universities as promised by the NDC administration.
The six as announced by President Mahama in the State of the Nation address on February 25, 2016 are Kumasi, Ho Takoradi, Sunyani , Accra and Koforidua polytechnics.
The six according to the president made the 16 point criteria for the conversion.