The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has strongly opposed the recent schemes of service for polytechnics issued by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE). ASUP has given a 15-day ultimatum starting from July 8, 2024, demanding the immediate suspension of the guidelines’ implementation until necessary amendments are made.
Speaking to the press after the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja, ASUP’s National President, Mr. Shammah Kpanja, criticized the NBTE’s directives, highlighting specific sections that he claimed undermine the autonomy and standards of Nigerian polytechnics.
Kpanja particularly criticized the authorization of the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (OHSCoF) as responsible for staff employment in polytechnics, stating that this decision contradicts the institution’s processes. “Our conviction is that the OHCSoF cannot be preparing or approving a document on career development of staff when she is neither an employer nor regulator,” he said.
The ASUP leader further objected to the mandatory inclusion of National Skills Qualifications (NSQ) as a prerequisite for academic staff career advancement, labeling it as irrelevant to the delivery of polytechnic curricula. He also condemned the document for promoting discriminatory practices favoring university degree holders over Higher National Diploma (HND) holders, noting that such policies set back efforts made by the Union to bridge that gap.
“Several provisions in the controversial document eroded gains made in our Union’s battle against this condemnable act,” Kpanja said, expressing deep concern over the impact on career progression and administrative appointments within polytechnics.
Kpanja criticized the elongation of the career progression steps for lecturers from a 7-step to a 9-step cadre, adding an extra year for promotion to the final two levels. “This implies that anyone on the lecturer cadre will now endure a minimum of 26 tortuous years from the base to the highest level. This is not acceptable,” he stated, noting that this deviates from the norm in other subsectors and the retirement age remains unchanged.
He also highlighted the unfair career progression guidelines, which he described as a recipe for crises due to their lack of reflection on the remuneration accruing to the cadres. Additionally, he noted the proliferation of directorates with unsustainable financial implications on the institutions’ overheads.
Kpanja criticized a questionable Memorandum of Understanding between the NBTE and the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria regarding the HND program in Pharmaceutical Technology, calling it contradictory.
“The release of documents by the NBTE subtly amending some provisions and seeking approval for amendment of others amounts to an admission of guilt and a halfhearted attempt at lifting the mourning mood in the sector imposed by the release of the contentious scheme of service. This is unsatisfactory and self-indicating on the commitment of the NBTE to the ideals and aspirations of the Nigeria Polytechnic System,” Kpanja said.
In light of these issues, ASUP has issued a 15-day ultimatum to the proprietors of all public polytechnics, demanding the NBTE suspend the implementation of the identified provisions until the requisite amendments are effected. The ultimatum takes effect from July 8, 2024.
“At the expiration of the 15-day ultimatum, the Union’s NEC will reconvene to decide a specific and legitimate course of action to address the issue,” Kpanja warned. He called on Zones and Chapters of the Union to prepare members for necessary action within the 15 days through congresses, peaceful protests, and media campaigns on the issue.
