ASUP calls for suspension, review of new Polytechnics Scheme of Service.
Ag. Chairperson of the Union Comrade Esther Adebitan briefing newsmen. photo credit; Abubakar Baba Ahmad
By Abubakar Baba Ahmad.
Federal Polytechnic Bauchi Chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics ASUP has thrown its weight behind the National Union’s 15 days ultimatum issued to the Federal Government to suspend and subsequently amend certain provisions of the new Polytechnics Scheme of Service.
Part of the Union’s issues of contention include the introduction of sub tertiary level National Skills Qualifications NSQ as mandatory conditions for academic staff career growth, discrimination against HND holders with University degree holders at entry points into the Lecturer cadre, appointment of Registrars and Bursars, and classification of technologists as non-teaching staff among others.
Thd Acting Chairperson of the Union Comrade Esther Adebitan made the union’s position known at a press conference on the release of a contentious Scheme of Service for Polytechnics by the National Board for Technical Education NBTE, held at the Polytechnic ASUP Secretariat in Bauchi.
Comrade Esther Adebitan said the ultimatum served to the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Education and NBTE on 8th of July seeks the suspension of the afformentioned anomalies with a view to the reviewing them or face diverse forms of industrial action by the union.
According to the ASUP Acting Chairperson, the union wondered how the Head of Civil Service of The Federation who is neither an employer nor regulator would be preparing or approving a document on career development of staff including assessment of such staff for career growth.
“The document’s approval route which gave rise to the significant and contentious alterations is legally questionable as the role of The Office of The Head of Civil Service of The Federation as an approving authority is challengeable”.
“Therefore, the introduction of sub tertiary level qualifications like in this instance the National Skills Qualifications (NSQ) as mandatory conditions for academic staff career growth is a misnomer as the possession of NSQ has no meaningful contribution to the delivery of the contents of the curricula of the different programs offered at the tertiary education level in Polytechnics”, Esther Adebitan restates.
The Union notes that the MoU between the NBTE and the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria on the status of HND program in Pharmaceutical Technology run by Polytechnics, elongation of lecturers career progression of cadre from 7 steps to 9, as well as proliferation of directorates are self-indicting on the commitment of NBTE towards the Nigeria Polytechnic System.
ASUP Ag. Chairperson said, “This implies that anyone on the lecturer cadre will now endure a minimum of 26 tortuous years from the base to the highest level. This is not acceptable particularly in view of the fact that this deviates from the norm in other subsectors and that the retirement age in the sector remains unchanged.
“The unfair career progression guide in the sector particularly as it affects the teaching and non-teaching staff cadres is a recipe for crises as such is not reflective of the remuneration accruing to the cadres”.
Comrade Adebitan used the medium to restate the union’s call for approval to allow Polytechnics run B.Tech degree programmes in specialised areas and making the qualification entry point for both degree and HND same to ensure justice.
“The unwholesome and condemnable discrimination against holders of Higher National Diploma certificates as against holders of Bachelor’s degrees from universities was further entrenched in the document. Several provisions in the controversial document eroded gains made in our Union’s battle against this condemnable act. We affirm that Polytechnics cannot discriminate against its products in the manner prescribed in this document”, Adebitan adds.
