Polytechnic Admissions Dwindling

The Rector of the Cape Coast Polytechnic, Dr Lawrence Atepor, says the negative perception that polytechnic education is inferior to university education has led to a drastic reduction in applications to the institutions.

Dr Atepor said due to the misconception, a greater number of senior high school graduates opted for polytechnic admission only after several failed attempts at getting admission to the university.

He has, therefore, called on the government to give serious attention to vocational and technical institutions to enable them to feed the polytechnics with Higher National Diploma (HND) students.

He said the negative perception had created a serious challenge for the polytechnics in getting their full complement of qualified students.
Dr Atepor expressed the concern at the 20th matriculation of the polytechnic in Cape Coast.

Admission

Out of 2,150 applicants 1,330 qualified for admission. Of the number, 849, representing 63.8 per cent were males, while 481, representing 36.2 per cent, were females. The total number comprised 1,074 tertiary and 256 non-tertiary students.

Dr Atepor said over the years, intake of polytechnic students had been decreasing as a result of the unwelcomed public perception about polytechnics.

He stated that the polytechnic had made several strides in its efforts to transform the school into one of the preferable institutions in the country by collaborating with professional institutions such as the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICA, Ghana),the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators and National Institute of Information Technology (NIIT).

Dr Atepor advised the matriculants to desist from practices such as occultism, prostitution and drunkenness.

Source: Daily Graphic/Ghana