Posted by Anderson Ezeibe, the National Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), has claimed that the Federal Government (FG) of Nigeria is actively working to de-market polytechnic education.
In addition to this accusation, the union stated that the FG was stealing embedded development value from the country.
The head of ASUP named the HND/BSc dichotomy, the inability to increase academic continuity for HND graduates, and the inequality between HND/BSc holders in government circles as examples of unfavorable policies enacted by the Federal Government of Nigeria that are stifling technological education in Nigeria.
During an International Conference that was organized by ASUP in Ikot Osurua, which is located in the state of Akwa Ibom, Ezeibe bemoaned a situation in which welders were hired from India for Dangote Refinery at the expense of Nigerian polytechnic graduates. He stated that such an attitude encourages capital flight while home-grown manpower suffers from joblessness.
While he was speaking on the topic of “Redefining the Mandate of Polytechnic Education for Economic Diversification and Sustainability,” he explained that “Polytechnics education is not encouraged.” Some polytechnics have student populations that are lower than 1,000, while some state governors want to convert their polytechnics into universities rather than developing the institutions themselves.
“The policies of the government are working to undermine the value of polytechnic education. The statute that established polytechnic education needs to be revised in order to accommodate the new realities posed by the rapid technological advancement of our country.
“The government ought to move away from a monolithic economic model by means of diversification and ought to encourage skill education in order to meet the skill needs of the nation. This would ensure that the government pays the appropriate attention to subsidizing polytechnics, and the certification will be migrated to Bachelor of Technology while the National Diploma will continue to be accepted as a feed for Bachelor of Technology.
“Reverse the infrastructure deficits, review the curriculum, and address the issue of staff remuneration in order to retain qualified personnel,” he stated. “In addition, restore technical colleges as feed for OND programs across the nation.”