ASUP, tackles NBTE over ‘Schemes of Service’ to regulate Polytechnics

Leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, has lampooned the National Board for Technical Education, NBTE, over the release of what it described as a contentious document on, ‘schemes of service for Polytechnics’.

ASUP at its 110th National Executive Council, NEC, meeting in Abuja, issued a 15-day ultimatum, advising the NBTE and proprietors of public Polytechnics to withdraw the document.

Briefing journalists at the end of the NEC meeting, the President of ASUP, Comrade Shammah Kpanja said the document approved as Schemes of Service for Polytechnics contains significant and fundamental deviations from the document prepared by stakeholders in the sector and coordinated through series of consultative engagements by the NBTE for over six years.

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Kpanja said the document has been presented for further scrutiny to the Think Tank Committee of the Union, which comprises Body of Former Presidents of ASUP as well as the Council of National Officers (CNO) of the Union.

According to him, “The Governing Councils are the employers of staff in the Polytechnics and the Federal Executive Council has also underlined same in its recent letter of 18th December 2023 CM1/5.II/1/304 where OHSCoF was excluded from any role in the employment of staff in tertiary institutions.

“Our conviction is that the OHCSoF cannot be preparing or approving a document on career development of staff including assessment of such staff for career growth when she is neither an employer nor regulator.

“The status of Nigerian Polytechnics was again brought to question by this controversial document. The tertiary educational institution status of Polytechnics is settled in different laws and policy instruments. Therefore the introduction of sub tertiary level qualifications like in this instance the National Skills Qualifications (NSQ) as mandatory conditions for academic staff career growth is a misnomer.

“As the possession of NSQ has no meaningful contribution to the delivery of the contents of the curricula of the different programs offered at the tertiary education level in Polytechnics.

“The unwholesome and condemnable discrimination against holders of Higher National Diploma certificates as against holders of Bachelor’s degrees from Universities was further entrenched in the document. Several provisions in the controversial document eroded gains made in our union’s battle against this condemnable act.

“We affirm that Polytechnics cannot discriminate against its products in the manner prescribed in this document. This is evident in the provision of discriminatory entry points into the lecturer cadre for degree holders and HND holders; lowering the career progression bar of holders of HND both in the teaching and non-teaching cadres; discrimination against holders of HND in the appointment of Registrars and Bursars irrespective of their possession of higher level certificates; classification of technologists as non-teaching staff.”

He said based on the review, NEC resolved that several provisions in the document fell short of the expected standards as earlier observed.

“Our Union is hereby issuing a 15 day ultimatum to proprietors of all public polytechnics for the owners of the document, the NBTE to suspend implementation of the identified provisions until the requisite amendments are effected.

“The ultimatum is with effect from 8th of July 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 stated.