Prof. K.T. Djan-Fordjour, Rector of the Sunyani Polytechnic, says many of the experienced staff of the institution retired in the last two years, while many others are also close to their retiring age.
The rector said the polytechnic has not been able to employ to replace them or re-engage the retiring staff on contract, due to difficulty in getting clearance from the Ministry of Finance.
The trend, he stated, if not addressed will compel school authorities to halt running of some programmes. He has therefore appealed to the Ministry of Finance to give the polytechnic a green light to engage retiring staff and many more on contract to keep the existing programmes running.
Prof. Djan-Fordjour was speaking at the 7th congregation ceremony of Sunyani Polytechnic. A total of 1,456 students were presented with HNDs in engineering; business and management studies; applied science and technology, and certificates at the non-tertiary levels.
As part of the polytechnic’s preparations toward transforming itself into a Technical University by 2016, the rector said the institution has put in place a five-year comprehensive strategic plan to act as a roadmap toward the aspiration.
The strategic plan, he noted, include building “world-class faculties, enhancing the quality of the teaching and learning environment, improving students’ services, and creating a diverse technical university community”.
Prof. Djan-Fordjour urged graduates to take advantage of the newly-established Youth Enterprise Support (YES) Fund by government, and develop business plans to source funds and establish businesses that create jobs and shun depending on government for employment.
