Converting The Polytechnics: Technical Universities Or Inferior Universities?

By Collins R. Nunyonameh, PhDIntroductionIn fulfilment of a serious campaign pledge within the 2012 presidential elections, President John Mahama, in his State of the state Address to Parliament on February twenty five, 2016, proclaimed his government's call to convert six (now presumably 8) of Ghana's 10 polytechnics from higher credentials award establishments into degree award establishments, with a reputation modification from polytechnics to “technical universities”. On April 5, 2016, the President followed up with what was delineate as a political candidate launch of the conversion at the Takoradi tech.

While the connection and processes of the conversion (including the choice of polytechnics) have remained an issue of intense dialogue among social commentators, education specialists, alumni and students of the varied polytechnics, and even political activists, there has been little or no interest shown in understanding the substance of the conversion and its potential implications.

Questions on substance



The question of substance is extraordinarily vital within the broader context of the evolution of polytechnics in African nation. Polytechnics in African nation have had an extended history of unsuccessfully controversy out their equality or equivalence with the standard public universities, whether or not in terms of conditions of service for his or her academics, or in terms of job placement for his or her students. The tech academics Association (POTAG), for instance, has, for years, been pushing for same or similar conditions of service offered academics within the public universities (University academics Association of African nation – UTAG).
Similarly, the African nation Union of tech Students (GNUPS) has, for many years, demanded job placements for tech graduates at similar levels as those offered graduates from the standard public universities while not success. In fact, till recently, in an understandable demonstration of condescension towards polytechnics, some public universities refused to permit graduates from the polytechnics transfer credits from their Higher National Diploma programmes towards their academic degree programmes. In observe, this has meant that tech graduates (depending on whether or not they were SSCE or grade holders), for a few time, had to try to to four or three full years so as to earn a degree within the same programmes completed at the Higher National Diploma level.

In this context, the conversion of polytechnics into Technical Universities is usually expected to be wide celebrated across the polytechnics, because it supposedly brings to closure the controversy on their standing, vis-à-vis, the standard universities.  Indeed, there's some proof of celebration among a number of the polytechnics. Koforidua tech, for instance, has already modified its name (on the website) to Koforidua University of Technology, before the completion of the legal processes needed for the conversion.

While the celebration is secure, in some sense, some vital queries stay to be answered relating to the substance of the conversion, i.e. exactly what it means that to be a technical university instead of a tech, and the way a technical university, in this sense, compares with the opposite universities, particularly the general public universities in African nation. will the conversion extremely bring the Polytechnics at par with the opposite hired Public universities? will it matter that the polytechnics square measure referred to as technical universities instead of universities of technology or simply universities? for instance, can Koforidua be asked to vary its name from Koforidua University of Technology to Koforidua Technical University? If thus, what's going to be the difference?

While these queries arouse real curiosity and underscore the requirement for a additional combined effort at public education on the conversion, loosely, the additional vital question, perhaps, considerations the standing of the new planned technical universities, vis-à-vis, the standard public universities. for instance, can Koforidua University of Technology be actually similar to the University of African nation or the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) within the technical sense of a university?

Will the technical universities be allowed to run degrees surpass the standard public universities in Ghana? In different words, can the technical universities be allowed to run Bachelor of Science (BSc) Degrees or full skilled degrees like Bachelor of design or Bachelor of Engineering as is completed by different universities?

Or can they be restricted to solely Bachelor/Master of Technology (B.Tech/M.Tech) Degrees? however can degrees offered by technical universities compare with degrees offered by the standard universities? can they be equivalent or inferior? for instance, will M.Tech degrees from technical universities meet entry needs for Doctor of Philosophy admission within the University of African nation or the KNUST?

Technical Universities as inferior universities?



It is truthful to predict that whereas some could notice these queries instructive, others could take into account them inessential, continuing on the easy assumption that the terribly mention of the word “university” in technical universities ought to be enough to substantiate that the technical universities and their degrees are going to be similar to different public universities. however that assumption is also wrong.
In fact, anecdotal proof suggests that the govt might not be wondering the technical universities as equivalents, in terms of standing, to the standard public universities, or universities within the general sense. there's some proof to counsel, indeed, that the govt is conceptualising the technical universities basically as inferior universities, universities in name only, however polytechnics in substance.

Two apparently insignificant facts lend credibleness to the current read. the primary lies within the indisputable fact that instead of individual Bills, the govt is presenting a composite Bill to Parliament on the technical universities. And this could, in fact, not be thus insignificant; it represents a heavy deviation from the method of making public universities in African nation.

The approach, traditionally, is to gift separate Bills on every planned university. the govt is nonetheless to ever gift a “universities bill” within the creation of universities in African nation. In fact, this can be why even if the colleges of Health and Allied Sciences and also the Energy and Natural Resources were created almost about identical time, they every had their separate Bills in Parliament, and eventually, their separate Acts and Charters.

In this sense, presenting a composite Bill for all the technical universities implies that in contrast to the opposite public universities, that have individual, separate charters to work as freelance universities and award their own degrees, the technical universities can have a collective charter; Associate in Nursingd none of the them are going to be freelance enough to grant its own degrees while not recourse to an external, superordinate body.

In fact, a comparison of the diction within the Technical Universities Bill and also the University of African nation Act 2010, for instance, is extraordinarily revealing during this regard. Article two (1) of the University of African nation Act 2010 (Act 806) states:  “Without limiting its different powers, the University [of Ghana] shall have power to award its own degrees, as well as unearned degrees, diplomas and certificates.”

Contrast this with Article four (1a) of the Technical Universities Bill: “Without limiting its powers, a technical university could award degrees, diplomas, certificates et al. as is also prescribed by the Council of that technical University established beneath Section four of this Act, and approved by the national body liable for enfranchisement.



Clearly, on the premise of this proof alone, it's troublesome to say that the planned technical universities are going to be equivalent, in terms of standing, to any public university in Ghana; they'll be inferior universities! if truth be told, they'll still be polytechnics, in spite of the name modification. the $64000 danger here is that by changing into technical universities, as has been planned, the trail for these polytechnics to become “real universities” gets extremely blurred and unsure.
The second proof lies within the indisputable fact that the titles for the executive heads within the technical universities are going to be totally different from the title of the executive heads of the opposite public universities. consistent with the Technical Universities Bill, body heads of the technical universities cannot decision themselves Vice-Chancellors, as is that the norm with different public universities (new or old) in African nation. this could sound well-worn to some, however it's going to not be accidentally that heads of the technical universities won't be referred to as Vice-Chancellors.

In fact, once the polytechnics were regenerate from technical institutes to polytechnics, the title of their body heads modified from Principal to minister. Changes in titles convey ideas concerning new roles and standing.  Thus, by consciously avoiding the introduction of the title “Vice-Chancellor” for the heads of the technical universities, and together with the sooner points, it's onerous to argue that the govt is thinking of the technical universities as full-fledged universities at par with their ancient counterparts.



But the conceptualisation (intentional or not) and actual style of the technical universities, as “inferior” category of universities, raises serious queries that may solely get amplified with the passage of the Technical Universities Act. additionally to the queries asked earlier concerning the standing of the degrees to be awarded by the technical universities, there mayly |might also|may additionally} be additional questions on the standing of graduates of the technical universities (in terms of job placement, career progression, and even tutorial advancement), furthermore as concerning the standing of the employees of the technical universities, especially, in terms of conditions of service.
Not solely these, however what actual pathways exist to grant the technical universities full-fledged university standing, and what square measure the govt's plans relating to this ultimate transition? it's going to be vital for the government to clarify its positions on these key queries.

Conversion to tech University faculties (PUCs) is also a stronger possibility

Rather than making inferior universities out of the polytechnics, it's going to be vital to judge different pathways for the elevation of the polytechnics. the primary is to think about creating the polytechnics full-fledged, freelance degree award universities with their own separate charters.

The idea is to form every tech a separate university, equivalent, in status, to any or all different public and personal universities. this can mean, of course, that the govt should replace the composite Technical Universities Bill with separate Bills for every of the half-dozen or eight planned polytechnics to be upgraded. this can effectively answer most of, if not all, the queries raised during this article.



A second different is to adopt a middle ground position by changing the polytechnics into tech University faculties (PUCs). Given the work force and infrastructure bases of the polytechnics, there ought to be no drawback with their conversion into tech university faculties. In fact, most the polytechnics in African nation have additional resources (broadly speaking) than many of the personal university faculties, and most even have experiences operating with different ancient public universities as mentors. during this sense, conversion of the polytechnics into PUCs can be pursued while not major insurmountable challenges.
In fact, African nation provides terribly helpful lessons during this respect. for instance, the history of the Technical University of port and also the African nation Technical University shows that each establishments (and i'm positive others) were at the start regenerate from technical institutes into techs (just as was the case in Ghana); they were afterward elevated from polytechnics to polytechnic university faculties, then eventually (individually) to full-fledged technical universities, with their own separate charters.

As full-fledged universities, each establishments get pleasure from broad acceptance and respect and provide a variety of degrees – B.Tech, Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng), Bachelor of design (B.Arch.) and Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com) Degrees – even as different universities in African nation and also the world. they're not restricted to giving simply the B.Tech Degree, that at the African nation Technical University is below the “full professional” degrees like the B.Com, B. Arch., etc.

In view of the higher than example, a stronger path to the conversion is also to elevate the techs initial to the standing of polytechnic university faculties (PUC), instead of creating them inferior universities, because the gift conceptualisation of the technical universities looks to counsel. creating the techs polytechnic university faculties holds four distinct blessings.



First, it provides every tech a transparent path towards ultimate attainment of full university standing. Second, it provides every tech the area and time to more and more build their capability and address existing deficiencies, in preparation for changing into full universities. Third, the PUC approach removes the political pressure on the govt related to the conversion of the PUCs into full universities; every tech university faculty could have to be compelled to demonstrate that it's able to get on its own. Fourth, the PUC approach additionally builds on existing cooperative arrangements between the polytechnics and a few older, larger public universities.
ConclusionProceeding on this mechanical phenomenon of changing the polytechnics into technical universities while not a transparent definition of the standing of those technical universities relative to their ancient counterparts, especially, in terms of the degrees they provide, is probably going to introduce lots of challenges among the tutorial sector, and even the labour front, once the celebrations stop.

It may therefore be vital for the govt to rethink its approach to the conversion. it's going to even be vital for the varied associations within the polytechnics – POTAG, PAAG [Polytechnic directors Association of Ghana); GNUPS; corporation [Conference of Rectors of techs]; GAPA [Ghana Association of Polytechnic Administrators] and significantly, alumni associations – to be totally engaged within the discussions on the substance problems with the conversion into technical universities.