Youths Not Interested In Polytechnic Education Due To Govt Policies, ASUP Laments

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), has lamented that youths in Nigeria are no longer interested in enrolling in polytechnics due to the policy of the government that tries to de-markets it.

ASUP President, Mr Anderson Ezeibe who was speaking at a briefing to herald the Union’s National Delegates Conference, stated that polytechnics education in the country is now facing existential threat.

Ezeibe said that the disparity between Higher National Diploma (HND) offered by polytechnics and Bachelor Degrees offered by universities has continued to be a source of challenge for polytechnic education in the country.

The ASUP president also claimed that some of those appointed by the Federal Government as rectors are people who don’t have the prerequisite qualifications to occupy such positions.

Ezeibe further said there was confusion in the polytechnic system as many have been operating without the full complement of their governance structures since June, 2023, while unqualified and incompetent persons are being appointed to run some of the institutions.

He further said that 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.

According to him, “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 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 requisite knowledge to insert provisions unknown to academics into the new scheme of service. Deleterious Policies:

“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 six hundred 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.

“Similarly, we welcome the decision to grant degree awarding status to Polytechnics as contained in the same document. 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.”