Speaking at a symposium for staff of Takoradi Technical University on the conversion process, Prof. Addei called on heads of technical universities to learn transformational leadership to enable them implement changes that will make their institutions strong against competition at the tertiary education level.
He said the technical university model has the potential to be as successful as GIMPA, which increased its turnover 30 times within a period of nine years under his leadership.
Prof. Adei urged the institution to take advantage of opportunities in the Western Region, by partnering with the ports and players in the oil and gas industry.
He said a new technical university must have a clear mission and vision to produce technologically-inclined, ICT savvy and industry-connected output.
On staffing, Prof. Adei said: “Universities are made by those who are the core professors. To remedy the handicap of becoming a university with a handicap in staff, there must be measures to attract quality and experienced tutors.”
“If you go to a typical polytechnic, a third of the tutors don’t qualify as university lecturers. At a certain time, those people must be out. It is painful, but unless those decisions are taken, you will be a fourth-class university,” he concluded.
Takoradi Technical University, formerly Takoradi Polytechnic, was established as a Government Technical Institute in 1954.
It was upgraded by the Polytechnic Act 321 (PNDC Law 1993) to become part of the Ghana Tertiary Education System, which was later replaced in 2007 by the Polytechnic Law (Act 745).
Currently, the school has three campuses: Effiakuma (Takoradi), Butumagyebu (Sekondi) and Akatakyi (Agona-Nkwanta).
The new Akatakyi campus is the largest of the three, with an acreage of 152.3.
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(Via: CitiFM Online Ghana)
