Achieving sustainable building education the case of polytechnics in Ghana

The construction industry in Ghana is suffering a number of problems at all levels with regards to materials, machinery, personal organization and information. This has its consequences for the production of buildings and amongst them housing. One of the solutions is thought in improving the technical education of the new staff for the construction industry. This paper reports of a successful (NPT) Nuffic project whereby the TU/e worked closely together with the two Ghanaian partners the Polytechnics in Sunyany and Cape Coast and the Kwame Nkruma University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi. The approach of improving education was at different levels: a) The development of a new curriculum. b) Upgrading of laboratories and workshops at both polytechnics. c) The staff could follow upgrading courses to get a graduation of Bsc or Msc level. d) Some ((Msc) level) staff members were allowed to leave the country for a phd study in one of the specific teaching areas at the TU/e. The main point was to involve the construction industry in both the curriculum development and in the practice of teaching and apprenticeships. In December 2006 was a mid-term review as the project is half way. A number of promising results can be reported. Although some financial input is required in our view this way of approaching a problematic construction industry will bear its fruits in the nearby future. Already in September 2007 the new curriculum will be launched so that the industry will be reinforced with staff of a higher quality. The sustainability is guaranteed as the upgrading project was fully embedded Ghanaian context with full support of all parties involved.