ASUP rejects new approved scheme of service for polytechnics 

By Gabriel Dike

The union in a statement signed by the National President of ASUP,  Shammah Kpanja, accused the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation HoCSF of inserting some sections that was not part of the original agreed document by stakeholders in the polytechnic system.

Kpanja disclosed that ASUP collected a copy of a document titled Scheme of Service for Polytechnics from the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) on Wednesday, June 19th, 2024.

He said the collection of the document was turned to a media show by NBTE despite condemnable insertions, which completely undermines the tertiary education status of Nigeria’s polytechnics as well as promotes the agelong dichotomy and discrimination against holders of Higher National Diploma certificates in many respects and fundamentally distorts established career structures and progression guides in the sector in several negative dimensions.

His words: “It is indeed a period of mourning for Nigeria’s Polytechnic System that after a tortuous seven-year review journey following agitations by ASUP, our polytechnics are left with a burden of contradictions that amplifies the identity crisis rocking the sector over the years.

“We are however not too surprised at some of the objectionable insertions credited to the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoCSF) whose disdain for Nigeria’s polytechnics and its products ranks high in its “achievements” over the years.”

According to him, the union had queried the questionable professional and legal status of the office of the HoCSF in this whole process and are not surprised by the clear display of poor knowledge of the core demands of a functional tertiary education structure with the desired condiments for the promotion of technical and technological education in the country.

“Our union have serious reservations on the office of HoCSF whose actions and pronouncements over the years and in the recent past has shown nothing other than disdain for Nigerian polytechnics and its products in the civil service,” he noted.

ASUP expressed disappointment that rather than undertaking a study of the document, the NBTE chose to celebrate a document that would birth confusion in the sector, deepen dichotomy, accelerate brain drain, further reduce students’

enrollment, ridicule the sector, and further detach the polytechnics away from the national, regional and global community of tertiary education institutions.

Kpanja added, “we are also miffed by attempts at the occasion to trivialize our union’s several and well documented battles to align career definition and progression structures in our polytechnics to acceptable tertiary education standards. We equally took note of the subtle attempts to

inject acrimony within the ranks of the staff trade unions in the sector. This is unfortunate.

ASUP advised the NBTE to exercise restraint in the implementation of the several contentious provisions in the document until such provisions are aligned to prevailing laws and acceptable norms in tertiary education.

“Our union will distill these areas of dissent and will be addressing the media in a comprehensive manner on the developments and the adverse implications on our

polytechnics originally envisioned as centers of knowledge in technical, innovation and technological education in the country,” Kpanja stated.

He added that the union would not be blackmailed into an abdication of its responsibility and strategic position

as critical stakeholders, warning, “we are placing all cards on the table on the disturbing development commencing with our organ meetings in the coming days.”