•Condemns 7% budgetary allocation for education
From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), yesterday, said polytechnics in the country were at the verge of extinction.
It lamented that many young people were no longer interested in going to polytechnics because the government has de-marketed the institution by maintaining a disparity between Higher National Diplomas (HND) offered by the polytechnics and bachelor degrees offered by the universities.
The union also said the current bill before the National Assembly which indicates that 7.8 per cent was provided for the education sector, implied that the country was further away from a solution to the underfunding in the sector.
ASUP President, Anderson Ezeibe, stated this at a press conference in Abuja to herald the union’s national delegates’ conference coming up today
Ezeibe further said there was confusion in the polytechnic system as many have been operating without the full complement of their governance structures since June 2023, while unqualified and incompetent persons were being appointed to run some of the institutions.
According to him, “some of the 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.
“The disregard for extant laws in the appointment of principal officers in these polytechnics by the Federal Government has emboldened different state governments to toe the same path, as several state governments are in the business of violating their own laws in principal officers’ appointment processes.”
Ezeibe called for the immediate reconstitution of all dissolved governing councils of polytechnics, in accordance with the extant rules, as well as the removal of the five unfit and unqualified persons currently pretending to be rectors of some of the new federal polytechnics in the country
He also called for the stoppage of the appointment of unqualified persons as principal officers in polytechnics; the immediate release of the scheme of service for polytechnics, and the faithful implementation of the approved roadmap for the education sector, particularly as it affects the establishment of a national commission for polytechnics, as well as granting of degree awarding status for polytechnics.
Additionally, the union president demanded the upward review of the budgetary provisions for education in the 2024 appropriation bill before the National Assembly to reflect actual needs for the sector; total withdrawal of the 2021 circular requesting institutions to make remittances of their internally generated funds, and immediate implementation of the approved new wage structure of 35 per cent and 25 per cent for chief lecturers and other categories of staff in the sector with the arrears.
Also in his demands were the release of owed promotion arrears; the unconditional release of the eight months owed salaries of university staff in the country, as well as return to the table of renegotiation to enable a proper renegotiation of the ASUP/FGN 2010 agreement, among others.
“While we expect the government to work assiduously towards a revamp of the education sector, we expect the issues highlighted in this document should be given requisite attention. These are key items undermining the functionality of the education sector in general, and polytechnic education in particular,” Ezeibe said.