FG policies destroying polytechnic education in Nigeria, says ASUP boss

The national chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Anderson Ezeibe has said that some policies of the federal government were destroying polytechnic education in Nigeria.

While delivering a keynote lecture at a 3-day International conference organized by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) in Ikot Osurua campus, Akwa Ibom state, Professor Ezeibe highlighted that the government has inadvertently stifled technological education in Nigeria due to unfavourable policies.

The conference focused on “Redefining the Mandate of Polytechnic Education for Economic Diversification and Sustainability.

Ezeibe listed some of the federal government policies working against polytechnic education including the HND/BSc dichotomy, the inability to enhance academic continuity for HND graduates, and the disparity between HND/BSc holders in government circles among others.

He lamented a situation where Welders were hired from India for the Dangote refinery project at the expense of Polytechnic graduates adding that such an attitude encouraged capital flight while homegrown polytechnic manpower walloped in unemployment.

The ASUP chairman regretted that the mandate of Polytechnic education has failed over the years as the government has not integrated them into national planning, especially in the technological development drive.

“Negligence of Polytechnics mandate has resulted in the high level of unemployment, poverty and poor entrepreneurship.

“Polytechnics education is not encouraged. In some Polytechnics, the student population is less than 1000 while some state governors change their Polytechnics to Universities instead of developing them.

“Government is demarketing Polytechnic education through their policies. The law that established Polytechnic education must be reviewed to meet emerging realities in our nation’s technological development. “

Ezeibe, who was a Lead Lecturer at the 3-day conference urged the federal government to integrate polytechnic education to meet the objective of lifting quality life in the sustainable development goals.

He noted: “Government should migrate away from monolithic economic model through diversification and promote skills education to meet skill need of the nation.”

He charged all stakeholders in education to work in synergy to mainstream Polytechnic education into the nation’s development plan.

Ezeibe said: “This will ensure that the government pays the right attention to funding Polytechnics, migrating the tertiary level of certification to Bachelor of Technology with a National Diploma retained as a feed for Bachelor of Technology.

“Reverse the infrastructure deficits, review curriculum, and address the issue of staff remuneration to retain qualified personnel as well as restore technical colleges as feed for OND programmes across the nation