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The Bolgatanga Polytechnic in the Upper East Region on Tuesday matriculated 498 students to pursue various Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes during the 2009/2010 academic year. Out of the 498 matriculates, 121 were females representing 24 per cent of total admission. One hundred and twenty-nine students were also admitted to pursue various professional courses at the non-tertiary level and another 36 have been enrolled to undertake the pre HND Access Course. The Rector of the Polytechnic, Professor Paul B. Tanzubil announced this during the matriculation of the students at Sumburungu near Bolgatanga. The Rector expressed concern about low enrolment in the sciences and said only 25 per cent of the fresh students would be pursuing courses in that area which is of greater priority to polytechnics. He attributed this problem to the fact that Science was poorly patronized and only few students aspired beyond the Senior High School level. Professor Tanzubil therefore called on stakeholders in education in the Region to redouble their efforts in the teaching of the sciences saying low patronage for the sciences would have a replicating effect on the technological advancement and development of the country. He explained that as part of measures to address the problem, the Management of the Polytechnic would organize a regional conference before the close of the year to deliberate on the state of science and technology education in the Upper East Region and devise strategies to address it. The Rector said the Polytechnic would introduce HND Programmes in Procurement and Logistic Management and Building Technology during the 2010/2011 academic year adding that following the passage of the Polytechnic Act in 2007, the Polytechnic now had the autonomy to award its own certificates, diploma and Degrees, which would soon start. Professor Tanzubil stated that the Polytechnic which currently runs HND courses in Applied Art and Science, Business and Management Studies and Engineering had significantly improved in the quality and quantity of its human resource base and noted that currently the school had academic staff strength of about 70 percent of which 60 percent have second degrees or professional qualifications. He indicated that the school was confronted with some challenges which include poor conditions of service for staff, inadequate infrastructure, and very low annual budgetary allocation. He said the situation where allocation of resources to tertiary institutions was based on student numbers was inimical to the growth of young institutions like Bolgatanga Polytechnic and needed to be reviewed. He stressed the need for the implementation of the single spine salary structure to adequately address the current disparities in the salaries among staff serving in the various categories of tertiary education. The founder Principal of the Polytechnic, Mr. Robert Ajene, asked for the need for graduates from polytechnics to effectively study entrepreneurship because one of the cardinal roles of polytechnics was to provide the requisite manpower for development of the nation. He noted that there were graduates who had completed tertiary institutions and because of the lack of entrepreneurship skills, they are unemployable.