Friday , March 29 2024

Mahama’s campaign promises not rhetoric – Omane

Communications Minister, Omane Boamah said unlike past presidents, President John Mahama is making sure that every campaign promise he made is fulfilled.

According to him, the president spoke out of wisdom and is making sure that he walks the talk.

Citing the conversion of Polytechnics into technical universities – which is currently ongoing – the minister said “he did not just throw out the conversion of the polytechnics, he thought through the policy and that is how come it is being implemented.”

President Mahama has begun the process of converting polytechnics into universities in accordance with his party’s manifesto in 2012.

He has already inaugurated the Takoradi Technical University, formerly the Takoradi Polytechnic. The Koforidua, Ho, Accra, Sunyani and Kumasi universities have also been converted.

He said the conversion marks the beginning of a new chapter in the country’s technical educational history.

Speaking on Radio Gold’s news analysis programme ‘Alhaji and Alhaji’, Omane Boamah said this could not have happened without the foreward thinking leader like President Mahama.

With the conversion of these polytechnics into universities, Mr Boamah said more students will be enrolled in the next academic year to pursue degree courses in these technical universities.

“When the president announced the policy during his campaign tour at Ho in 2012, people sought to reduce and poo-poo the policy. Now the mad rush for the policy is a clear indication of the far sightedness of President Mahama,” he said.

He however cautioned against questioning the integrity of the panel set up to access the viability of the polytechnics before they are converted into universities.

The panel has been criticized for being biased towards some polytechnics, but the minister said the panel must be given room to conduct the re-assessment of the polytechnics that are yet to be converted.

“Anything that comes out of it must be accepted. Even though the president is committed to it, he doesn’t want to compromise expert or technical opinion,” he added.

He indicated that government is investing 200 million dollars in technical and vocational education and a team from the United States of America is working with the Education Ministry to ensure that the remaining polytechnics that are yet to be converted are provided with the equipment and capacity before their conversion.

He said government is working to making sure that the conversion is across all ten regions.

“If you look at the way the president has approached the issue of SHS education, the similarities are there. Whereas people were looking at free SHS Mahama thought through a policy of expanding the infrastructure.

“That is the is difference between Mahama and his political opponents,” he said.

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