BONABOTO - Convert Bolga and Wa Polytechnics Into Technical Universities

By Samuel Akapule

Bolgatanga — The Tertiary Students Wing of the Bolgatanga, Nabdam, Bongo and Tongo (BONABOTO) has expressed worry about the undue delay of government in converting the remaining two polytechnics in the country into technical universities.

Government in 2017, converted eight out of the 10 polytechnics across the 10 regions in the country into technical universities, leaving out the Bolgatanga and the Wa Polytechnics in the Upper East and Upper West regions with the excuse that the two did not meet the criteria to be converted.

But speaking in Bolgatanga on Tuesday during a meeting organised by the Tertiary Students Wing of the BONABOTO, the national president, Mr Elbazar Joachim Tizaaba, stated that the two regions have over the years been marginalised in terms of development by the present and the past governments.

According to the group, the Bolgatanga Polytechnic, which could not meet the criteria during the last assessment, has now met all the requirements to be upgraded into a technical university and wondered why the government was still delaying with the process of upgrading it into a technical university.

He said the two remaining polytechnics are unable to compete effectively with the rest of the polytechnics that have already been upgraded.

"This has already reflected in the reported dwindling numbers in admissions for the polytechnics. The matter requires urgent attention by the government to help upgrade and make the polytechnic relevant to produce the right human resource for our regions," he stressed.

Mr Tizaaba also mentioned the poor road networks in the region, particularly the Bolganga-Bawku and the Bolgatanga-Wa roads and the township roads, including major problems confronting the region and appealed to the government to expedite action on such roads.

The vice national president of the BONABOTO Tertiary Students Wing, Ms Agoo Imelda Asum-bono, reiterated on the need for government to revamp the defunct factories in the region, including the Pwalugu Tomato Factory, the Zuarungu Meat Factory and the rice mill to help generate jobs for the youth and reduce poverty.

She appealed to all students of the union, especially those who have benefited from the educational endowment fund of BONABOTO, and have completed their education and now working, to contribute in diverse ways to the growth of the union.

Ms Asum-bono who appealed to the Members of Parliament (MPs) from the area to also support the activities of the union, stated that the leadership of the union had on several occasions approached the MPs for support but they failed to support.

The union, she said, condemned the recent upsurge of students' disturbances in the second cycle institutions in the region and noted that BONABOTO Tertiary Students Wing would soon be embarking on civic education programmes for the schools and entreated the general public, particularly the MPs and corporate bodies to support.

The secretary of the student wing, Mr Tindanzor Daniel Nbantena, stated that the union was non-political and appealed to more people to join to help advocate for the development of the region.

The regional chairman of BONABOTO, Mr Francis Atotono commended the BONABOTO Tertiary Students Wing for always complementing the mother union's efforts in development and entreated the members to play a leading role of ensuring that students in the area studied hard to come out with good grades.

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