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The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics on Tuesday said polytechnics in the country are currently facing an existential threat.
The union attributed this to what it described as dwindling student enrollment and qualified manpower flight away from the system.
The ASUP President, Anderson Ezeibe, made the development known at a press conference in Abuja.
He claimed that polytechnics are currently in a confused state due to the recent dissolution by the Federal Government of the governing councils of all federal polytechnics in the country despite the constitutional three-year tenure guaranteed by the Federal Polytechnics Act (2019 Amendment).
He, however, welcomed the decision to grant degree awarding status to polytechnics, saying, “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.
“Funding of existing polytechnics has remained a huge issue. The Appropriation Bill which represents minimally 75 per cent of funds for polytechnics has continued to be inadequate.
“Budgets for personnel, overhead and capital have been insufficient consistently over the years with institutions exhausting their personnel allocations each year prematurely. In the current bill before the National Assembly, an underwhelming 7.8% is provided for the education sector. This only implies that we are further away from a solution to the underfunding in the sector.
“The recent release of ₦15bn only to polytechnics for needs assessment intervention remains paltry in view of current economic realities. This paltry release goes to show the low priority on polytechnic education as the institutions remain shadows of what tertiary institutions of technical learning should represent.
“The recent reversal of the demand by the Accountant General of the Federation of 40% internally generated funds of the institution is but a temporary relief as the challenge remains as situated in the Finance Circular of December 20, 2021. The perception of higher institutions as revenue-generating agencies/ agents of government is faulty and incongruent with the reality of paucity of funding being experienced by the institutions. This perception must change if our institutions must meet the expectations of satisfying the nation’s manpower needs,”
Ezeibe regretted that Federal Polytechnics in the country have been operating without the full complement of their governance structures since June 2023.
He added, “The 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.
“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.
“The continued retention of five persons described as unfit and unqualified to be appointed as 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 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 own laws in principal officers’ appointment processes.
“The Scheme of Service for Polytechnics has 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,”
He further revealed that the Nigerian polytechnic system remains the only arm of tertiary education in the country operating without a dedicated commission, adding that polytechnics in the country are in the irregular mix of other over 600 sub-tertiary level education institutions with the adverse effect of inadequate regulation for the polytechnics.
He added, “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 totaling over 600 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.
The union also condemned the continued withholding of eight months’ salaries of university staff members by the federal government for embarking on strike action.
Ezeibe added, “We are surprised that the new salary structure reflecting a 25% and 35% increase in salaries of chief lecturers and other categories of staff respectively as contained in the letter from the National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission of September 14, 2023, is yet to take effect as at November 2023 salaries.
“This is even as the unilateral award by the government cannot be said to be a wage structure reflective of the crushing economic situation in the country. The government has continued to exhibit its customary administrative inertia on this matter while the staff of polytechnics continues to suffer in penury.
“Staff in Polytechnics are owed years of promotion arrears with some as far back as 2017. This is unfortunate as the value of the owed funds has been completely eroded due to the economic situation in the country. The same scenario is seen in the state-owned polytechnics where promotions are rarely implemented leaving staff demoralized. The same situation is seen in the refusal of the government to release arrears of ‘CONTISS 15’ migration to the lower cadre owned since 2014.
“The refusal of the government to return to the renegotiation table of the ASUP/FGN 2010 agreement is a sore point in industrial relations in the sector. Several issues including legal framework, policy framework, and staff welfare issues are left unattended. This is against all known conventions and practices in trade unionism.
“In view of the foregoing, our union demands the immediate reconstitution of all dissolved governing councils of polytechnics in accordance with extant rules. Removal of the five unfit and unqualified persons currently pretending to be rectors of some of the new federal polytechnics in the country; as well as the respect for laws in state polytechnics.
“Stoppage of the appointment of unqualified persons as principal officers in polytechnics in Nigeria
Immediate release of the scheme of service for polytechnics. The faithful implementation of the approved roadmap for the education sector particularly as it affects the establishment of a national commission for polytechnics and granting of degree awarding status for polytechnics
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. Immediate implementation of the approved new wage structure of 35% and 25% for chief lecturers and other categories of staff in the sector with arrears. Release of owed promotion arrears and implementation of same in state-owned institutions; as well as the release of ‘CONTISS’ 15 migration arrears for the lower cadre.
“An upward increase in allocation for needs assessment intervention for polytechnics. A return to the table of renegotiation to enable a proper renegotiation of the ASUP/FGN 2010 agreement. The unconditional release of the eight months owed salaries of university staff in the country.”
