Cape Coast Poly signs MoU with Hague University of Applied Science
The Cape Coast Polytechnic has signed a memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Hague University of Applied Science in the Netherlands for students and staff exchange training programmes.
Mr Kobena Atombo Simpson, Acting Rector of the Polytechnic who announced this at the 8th congregation of the Polytechnic in Cape coast, said another MoU has been signed with the University of Education, Winneba to run a one-year Diploma in Education for students who wish to take teaching as a career.
He said 1209 students who completed their courses in 2010 were presented with Higher National Diploma (HND) in Business and Management Studies, Engineering and Applied science and Arts.
The Cape Coast Polytechnic was established in 1984 as a second cycle institution, in 1986 it operated under the Ghana Education Service to offer intermediate courses leading to the award of non-tertiary certificate and was upgraded in 1992 to a tertiary level to run programmes for the award of the Higher national Diploma.
Currently the Polytechnic has three schools and twelve academic departments with a student population of 3213 pursuing various programmes in engineering, Business and Management Studies, Applied science and Arts.
Mr Simpson further announced that the Cape Coast Polytechnic has affiliation with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) for the Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) degree programme in building Technology.
He said an affiliation agreement between the polytechnic and the North Carolina Agriculture and Technical University in USA would soon be signed for the University to mentor and award the Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering, Master of Science (M.Sc) in Mechanical Engineering and Doctor of philosophy in Mechanical Engineering.
Mr Simpson said in an effort to end the frustrations polytechnic graduates face in their quest for higher academic certificate, the Polytechnic would soon get accreditation to run top-up degree porgrammes in many more course and that eight students have so far been admitted to pursue a two-year top-up Bachelor of technology degree programme in Mechanical Engineering.
He expressed his gratitude to the government for the immense support the polytechnic had received in recent times which include a library with an ICT centre, classroom blocks with laboratory facilities, accommodation facilities for staff, improved road network and a modern shopping mall complex and a car park.
Mr Simpson said though the Polytechnic had received support from the government it was still faced with a number of challenges such as irregular water supply, inadequate hostel facilities for the students adding that the only hostel facility available could accommodate just about 280 students representing less than 10 per cent of the total student population.
He said the lack of residential facilities has made it difficult to attract more students to the polytechnic and appealed to the government and other stakeholders to help put up more hostels facilities.
Mr Simpson said preparing students for the job market required dedicated and highly motivated teaching and administrative staff, as a result he appealed to the government to fast-track and resolve all issues that are besetting the smooth implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure.
Professor Benjamin Osei, Chairman of the Cape Coast Polytechnic Council, said the council had resolved to work as a team to support the management to offer the best leadership and administrative practices that would foster academic and industrial harmony.
Source: GNA