Hon. Kwadwo Adjei-Darko, former Minister of Local Government & Rural Development
Former Minister of Local Government and Rural Development under the erstwhile Kufuor administration, Kwadwo Adjei-Darko, says the country risks losing a large chunk of its human resource capacity needed for the country’s development, if much attention, is not given to polytechnic education in the country.
The former minister made the observation at a durbar and fund-raising ceremony organised by the Sunyani Polytechnic chapter of the Association of Polytechnic HND Accountancy Students (APHAS).
The fund-raising was aimed at raising money to purchase 100 computers and their accessories; 5 printers and 3 projectors for the association’s ICT center.
According to Mr. Adjei-Darko, quality education is key to reducing poverty and other social-vices in the country.
He pointed out that any country that relegates polytechnic education to the background and concentrate on university education is bound to lose its human resource base.
“A country cannot develop if polytechnic education is not given the needed attention. For us to develop as a nation we have to improve upon the human resource capacity and it could be done through quality education; we cannot develop as a nation when we neglect polytechnic education. Giving recognition to polytechnic education is vital and this prompted the previous administration to amend the polytechnic law to give polytechnics authority to run degree programmes,” he noted.
President of APHAS Sunyani Polytechnic Chapter, Miss Barikisu Salifu, called on government to strengthen polytechnics to develop the human resource capacity needed for the country’s development.
She said the ICT centre will equip the students with practical knowledge and skills such as computerised accounting, which is essential to the accounting profession.
“The ICT centre is to help members of the association to keep pace with the indispensable requirement of Information Technology that has recently evolved in the accountancy profession.
It is also to provide the HND Accounting students with the relevant tools, skills, and expertise required to satisfy the demands of the human resource development needs of this country,” she disclosed.
STORY: FROM MICHAEL SARPONG MFUM, SUNYANI, B/A
