ASUP gives FG a 15-day ultimatum to suspend controversial service plan

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has given the authorities of public polytechnics a 15-day ultimatum to suspend the implementation of a “controversial” duty roster issued by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).

The ultimatum will take effect on July 8.

The union’s president, Kpanja Shammah, announced this at a press conference in Lagos on Monday.

At its 110th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Abuja on July 4, ASUP reviewed the roster on practices and standards in the academic environment at the national and global levels.

Mr Shammah said on Monday that the suspension of the implementation of the programme was necessary, adding that some of its provisions did not meet standards.

“After critical examination of the document by the NEC of the Union and in keeping with our commitment to promote the interests of members and polytechnics in Nigeria, the following resolutions were passed:

“The union is demanding that the implementation of the above provisions be suspended until the necessary changes have been made. The ultimatum will take effect from July 8.

“After the 15-day ultimatum expires, the union’s NEC will meet again to decide on a concrete and legitimate course of action to resolve the issue.

“Zones and branches of the union should prepare their members for the necessary action within the 15-day ultimatum through congresses, peaceful protests and media campaigns on the issue,” he said.

Mr Shammah said the service plan contained significant and fundamental deviations from the plan prepared by stakeholders and coordinated through a series of NBTE consultation engagements over a period of more than six years.

He further claimed that the approval process for the document was legally questionable because the role of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSoF) as the approving authority was contestable.

He said: “The status of Nigerian polytechnics has been called into question again by this controversial document.

“The status of universities of applied sciences as tertiary educational institutions is regulated in various laws and policy instruments.

“Therefore, the introduction of sub-tertiary qualifications, such as in this case the National Skills Qualifications (NSQs), as a compulsory requirement for the career development of teachers is a misnomer, since possession of the NSQ does not make a significant contribution to the teaching of the content of the curricula of the various courses offered in polytechnics.

“This is further reinforced by the document’s retention of titles for the teaching and librarian cadres, which deviate from the norm in higher education worldwide,” he said.

Mr Shammah said several provisions in the document undermined the union’s gains in fighting “this reprehensible act”.

The President of ASUP stated that the universities of applied sciences should not discriminate against their products in the manner prescribed in the document.

According to him, there are discriminatory access points for HND graduates in the teaching cadre.

He added that the utility programme had lowered the barriers to career advancement for HND (Higher National Degree) graduates in both teaching and non-teaching sectors.

Mr Shammah also said that there was discrimination against HND holders in the appointment of registrars and treasurers.

Masopa Nurudeen, Zone C coordinator of ASUP, also said: “Our union has been following the inclusion of regressive provisions for polytechnic graduates with great attention.

“This position represents an existential threat to polytechnic education.

“The Federal Ministry of Education should work on the establishment of a Polytechnics Commission and the implementation of the dual mandate structure for polytechnics to enable them to start degree programmes in line with the timetable of the Nigerian education sector,” he said.

(NAN)