Technical Universities Act, 2016 (Act 922)

In 2017, Act 922 actually established six Technical Universities and provided for the conversion of four  Polytechnics to Technical Universities whenever they so qualified.

As of now, the four Polytechnics are close to the final stage of the conversion process.

In effect, very soon, the country will have ten newly established and newly converted universities in addition to the existing public universities such as UG, KNUST, UCC, UDS, inter alia.

Existing Public Universities

These already existing universities turn away qualified students year after year. When the national cut off point was aggregate 24, University of Ghana, for instance, picked up to 17 (17 being affirmative action) in 2004.

Year on year these universities kept on reducing their cut off point below the national cut off.

They did and continue to do this because they cannot absorb the huge numbers that have always been interested in going to these public universities. They simply do not have the capacity in terms of infrastructure and human resource to meet the growing numbers.

And as if Ghana has been cursed or blessed, whichever way, the numbers from SHS keep on growing. And the public universities are more distressed.

Private Universities

Thanks to the intervention of private universities which stepped in to give hope to some Ghanaians who had the desire for tertiary education.

Most students and workers have taken advantage of the upsurge of weekend and evening programmes in the private universities.

They have also created jobs for our youth. The contributions of the private universities are obvious.

But they are extremely expensive and most Ghanaians are unable to afford them. Now the lowest fees per semester is around Ghc1800. Certain programmes attract as much as Ghc 4000 per semester.

They cannot, therefore, be the saviour of the huge numbers that will come from the free SHS.

Technical Universities

The next hope for the big numbers from free SHS is the Technical Universities.

But the National Council for Tertiary Education is intentionally impeding the growth of these Technical Universities.

And I repeat, the NCTE has sworn heaven and earth to hinder the growth of the TUs.

Asantehene recently advised the Government to think about the numbers that will enter tertiary institutions after free SHS. For that reason the proper investment should go to the tertiary institutions now before it is late.

One big investment the Government of Ghana must do without delay is to breathe on the neck of NCTE to ALLOW the TUs to run four-year degree programmes.

In fact, the Polytechnic Act actually gave the polytechnics the power to run degree programmes and degree is degree: it can even be a PhD. Yet no polytechnic was practically allowed to live up to its full potential.

I have copies of letters that a former Rector of Sunyani Polytechnic wrote to NAB to inquire this. NAB wrote back to say that Sunyani Polytechnic could apply for accreditation to run degree programmes. Where did it end?

I am aware of the numerous applications the Technical Universities sent to NCTE for the commencement of the four-year degree programmes. But they are using guerrilla tactics to frustrate the TUs.

The TUs have the physical space to accommodate a double more of the numbers they admit each year. The only bar is that they run Higher National Diploma (HND), after which a candidate can do Bachelor of Technology (BTech).

Most of the students of TUs have qualifications that should give them direct four-year degree programmes yet they are not available in our TUs.

If all the existing HND programmes have their BTech equivalent and additional lecturers and other workers are employed, the Government can go to sleep and the TUs can do the magic with the huge numbers from free SHS.

And any attempt to hamper the growth of non-technical programmes is equally disastrous for the country.

In any case, PhD Linguistics is being run in Massachusetts Institute of Technology. KNUST is running arts programmes while University of Ghana runs engineering programmes.

The world has moved on from the purely technical or purely arts university style.

The numbers coming from free SHS must scare us all to work now. Anyone who cannot work should be removed before the Government is disappointed and disgraced with the huge numbers that will be ready for tertiary education in three years’ time.

Nana Gyasi

nanayogyasi@ktu.edu.gh