Four thousand, three hundred and fifty-six (4,356) fresh students were at the weekend admitted into the Sunyani Polytechnic to study various disciplines.
The students consist of 1, 437 females, and 3, 119 males, and were selected out of a total of 5,272 applications received for admission into various programmes.
Professor Kwesi Nsiah-Ggyabaah, Rector of Sunyani Polytechnic who said this in an address at the 13th Matriculation ceremony of the Sunyani Polytechnic, expressed the institution's commitment to increasing access to female and encouraged women to pursue science and technology-based programmes.
Giving a brief account on the history of the institution, he stated that, the Polytechnic was "established in 1997 to provide career focused education and training for students pursuing tertiary level programmes in Applied Science, Engineering Technology, Commerce and Business Studies with the objective of preparing students adequately for the world of work and provide an opportunity for those who have the capacity to pursue higher degrees of programmes".
The Rector said the institution, since its establishment has continued to grow from strength to strength, with the establishment of three additional schools namely School of Applied Sciences, School of Business and Management Studies and School of Engineering.
"Currently, the Polytechnic runs thirteen(13) full time tertiary programmes including one Bachelor of Technology, seven Higher National Diploma and five technician programmes. It admits students into eight professional programmes at the tertiary level and twenty-six (26) technician and craft courses", he stressed.
Additionally, in March this year, he further stated that 38 new students were admitted into the institution to pursue the Bachelor of Building Technology (B.TECH) programme, while the second batch of Bachelor of Building Technology students numbering 19 were also admitted in October, this year.
Professor Nsiah-Gyabaah, emphasised that the Polytechnic will "continue with its higher degree expansion programme to cover areas such as Hotel, Catering and Institutional Management(HCIM), Carpentry and Joinery(C&J), Electrical/Electronics Engineering and other applied science and engineering programmes, stressing in doing this it will remain focused and provide practical training and skills required for the industrial transformation and sustainable development of the country".
He urged the new students to be respectful, law-abiding and disciplined, as they were vital ingredients for knowledge acquisition and intellectual development.
"Recently, reports in the media show that there is growing spate of indiscipline on our roads, in the workplace and educational institutions. Indecent dressing, drug abuse, alcoholism, sexual promiscuity, occultism and hooliganism are challenges that confront the youth of today. Sunyani Polytechnic will continue to enforce discipline in our students, staff and polytechnic community", he warned.
Commenting on the forthcoming elections, he reminded them on the need to obey and respect electoral laws and cautioned them not to allow themselves to be used by self-seeking, overambitious politicians who may want to disturb the peace and stability of the country.
The Rector appealed to the government to release the "GetFund Hostels" to the polytechnics so they can own and manage themselves, so that the income derived from the hostels can be used to put up more hostels to ease the accommodation problems on the various campuses.
Prof. Nsiah-Gyabaah, admonished the new students to "be 'job creators' or 'employers' and not 'job seekers' or 'employees' to enable them to contain the phenomenon of the plague of unemployment which he described as probably the most widely feared phenomenon, facing graduates from polytechnics, because increasing number of students, technology and energy are putting people out of the work in all sectors of the global economy".
He therefore urged them to take their practical lessons and attachments serious, and develop practical skills and establish joint ventures with colleagues even before they leave the institution to justify the investment made on them, so they can also be useful to their communities and the nation as a whole after they have become skillful, knowledgeable and resourceful practitioners in their chosen field.