Victor Ezeja
AdminThe Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has sounded the alarm that while public polytechnics in the country are facing identity crises, technical education faces an existential threat as a result of the policy of government that is trying to de-market the system and make the youth uninterested in enrolling for polytechnic courses.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday, the ASUP President, Mr Anderson Ezeibe lamented that many young people are no longer interested in going to polytechnics because of the disparity between Higher National Diplomas (HND) offered by polytechnics and Bachelor’s Degrees offered by universities.
He disclosed that there was confusion in the polytechnic system as many of the institutions have been operating without the full complement of their governance structures since June 2023, while unqualified and incompetent persons are being appointed to run the place.
“Some of these polytechnics are actually in confused states as processes for the appointment of principal officers have been disrupted, staff appraisal processes cannot be concluded, staff disciplinary processes cannot be concluded and other statutory duties of the governing councils cannot be executed.
“Continued retention of five persons described as unfit and unqualified to be appointed rectors in five new federal polytechnics in Monguno, Shendam, Wannune, Ugep and Ohodo can only be interpreted from the perspective of the government deliberately undermining proper administration of the affected polytechnics,” he said.
Ezeibe maintained that the federal government’s decision to dissolve the governing councils of all federal polytechnics in the country despite the certainty of tenure of three years guaranteed by the Federal Polytechnics Act (2019 Amendment) has left the institutions in deficit of the required governance structures for their smooth operations.
ASUP further claimed that some of those appointed by the Federal Government as rectors are people who don’t have the prerequisite qualifications to occupy such positions.
The press briefing was staged as a build-up to the union’s National Delegates Conference coming up on Wednesday, with the theme: Identity Crisis and Existential Threat to Polytechnic Education in Nigeria: Issues and Perspectives.
Ezeibe said the current bill before the National Assembly which indicates underwhelming 7.8 per cent is provided for the education sector, implied that the country is further away from a solution to the underfunding in the sector.
His words, “The decision of the government to buy more time for the unfit persons to see out their illegal terms as rectors of these polytechnics in the guise of an appeal process is immoral and unfortunate.
“The disregard for extant laws in the appointment of principal officers in these polytechnics by the federal government has emboldened different state governments to tow the same path as several state governments are in the business of violating their laws in principal officers’ appointment processes.
“The Scheme of Service for Polytechnics have been undergoing review since 2017 without any conclusion in sight. The implication is that there is no uniformity in the application of standards on issues around duty prescription, career progression and cadre delineation in the sector. This chaotic situation has prevailed for six years only because of several attempts by persons without the requisite knowledge to insert provisions unknown to academics into the new scheme of service.
“The Nigerian Polytechnic System remains the only arm of tertiary education in the country operating without a dedicated commission. Polytechnics in Nigeria remain in the irregular mix of other sub-tertiary level education institutions totalling over six hundred with the adverse effect of inadequate regulation for the polytechnics.
“It is in this light that we welcome the decision of the government to include the establishment of a National Commission for Polytechnics in the Roadmap for the Education Sector 2024 – 2027 in the hope that such shall see the light of the day.
“Similarly, we welcome the decision to grant degree awarding status to Polytechnics as contained in the same document. This is the surest way to end the persistent HND/Degree dichotomy which has defied every intervention thus far.
“We are equally of the belief that this will mark an upturn in the fortunes of polytechnics in the country currently facing an existential threat due to dwindling students’ enrollment and qualified manpower flight away from the system.”
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