By Joan Nwagwu
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has appealed to the Federal Government to ensure upward review of the budgetary provisions for education in the 2024 appropriation bill before the National Assembly.
ASUP President, Mr Anderson Ezeibe said this during a news conference ahead of the union’s 17th biennial national delegates conference on Tuesday in Abuja.
He condemned seven per cent earmarked for education in the current budget.
Accouring to Ezeibe, the current bill before the National Assembly which indicates underwhelming 7.8 per cent is provided for the education sector,.
“This implies that the country is further away from a solution to the underfunding in the sector.
“But with the upward review was imperative in order to reflect actual needs for the sector and will ensure the
total withdrawal of the 2021 circular requesting institutions to make remittances of their internally generated funds.
“Also, the Immediate implementation of the approved new wage structure of 35 per cent and 25 per cent for chief lecturers and other categories of staff in the sector with the arrears,”he said.
He also said that the polytechnics in the country were at the verge of being wiped out.
He noted that many young people were no longer interested in going to polytechnics as government had de-marketed the institution.
He said the government had continued to maintain a disparity between higher national diplomas (HND) offered by polytechnics and bachelor degrees offered by universities.
The ASUP president also said that there was confusion in the polytechnic system as many have been operating without the full complement of their governance structures since June, 2023,.
He noted that unqualified and incompetent persons were being appointed to run some of the institutions.
“Some of these polytechnics are actually in confused states as processes for the appointment of principal officers have been disrupted.
“Saff appraisal processes cannot be concluded, staff disciplinary processes cannot be concluded and other statutory duties of the governing councils cannot be executed.
“Continued retention of five persons described as unfit and unqualified to be appointed rectors in five new federal polytechnics in Monguno, Shendam, Wannune, Ugep and Ohodo.
“This can only be interpreted from the perspective of the government deliberately undermining proper administration of the affected polytechnics,”he said.
He said that the disregard for extant laws in the appointment of principal officers in these polytechnics by the federal government had emboldened different state governments to tow the same path.
He also noted that several state governments were slso in the business of violating their own laws in principal officers’ appointment processes.
Ezeibe called for the the immediate reconstitution of all dissolved governing councils of polytechnics in accordance with extant rules.
He added that this is well as the removal of the five unfit and unqualified persons currently pretending to be rectors of some of the new federal polytechnics in the country
He also called for the stoppage of the appointment of unqualified persons as principal officers in
polytechnics in Nigeria;.
He also called for the immediate release of the scheme of service for polytechnics and the faithful implementation of the approved roadmap for the education sector particularly.
He added that. as it affects the establishment of a national commission for polytechnics as well as granting of degree awarding status for polytechnics.
He also called the release of owed promotion arrears; the unconditional release of the eight months owed salaries of university staff in the country..
Ezeibe urged federal government to return to the table of renegotiation to enable a proper renegotiation of the ASUP/FGN 2010 agreement, amongst others.
“While we expect the government to work assiduously towards a revamp of the education sector, we expect that the issues highlighted in this document should be given requisite attention.
“These are key items undermining the functionality of the education sector in general and polytechnic education in particular.” Ezeibe said.