ABUJA – The leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has criticised the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) over the release of a contentious document, ‘schemes of service for Polytechnics’.

To register its displeasure over the new policy, ASUP at its National Executive Council meeting in Abuja, issued a 15-day ultimatum, advising the NBTE and proprietors of public Polytechnics to withdraw the document.

While deliberating on the policy at its NEC, ASUP President, Shammah Kpanja
revealed that the Executive received the defining principles conveyed by the Scheme of Service for Polytechnics from the NBTE on the 19th of June, 2024 in Kaduna state.

Kpanja while addressing delegates at the 110th NEC said the document have been presented for further scrutiny to the Think Tank Committee of the Union, which comprises Body of Former Presidents of ASUP as well as the Council of National Officers (CNO) of the Union.

According to ASUP, the document approved as Schemes of Service for Polytechnics contains significant and fundamental deviations from the document prepared by stakeholders in the sector and coordinated through series of consultative engagements by the NBTE for over 6 years.

In the words of Kpanja, 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 (OHCSoF) as an approving authority is challengeable.

He said, this assertion is underlined by the provisions of Section 3 (1) of the Federal Polytechnics Act amended in 2019 where Governing Councils are established for each Polytechnic as Body Corporates with perpetual succession and common seal.

He noted that the status of these Polytechnics is settled in law by rulings of the National Industrial Court.

His words, “the Governing Councils are the employers of staff in the Polytechnics and the Federal Executive Council has also underlined same in its recent letter of 18th December 2023 CM1/5.II/1/304 where OHSCoF was excluded from any role in the employment of staff in tertiary institutions.

“Our conviction is that the OHCSoF cannot be preparing or approving a document on career development of staff including assessment of such staff for career growth when she is neither an employer nor regulator.

“The status of Nigerian Polytechnics was again brought to question by this controversial document. The tertiary educational institution status of Polytechnics is settled in different laws and policy instruments. 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.

“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. This is evident in the provision of discriminatory entry points into the Lecturer cadre for degree holders and HND holders; lowering the career progression bar of holders of HND both in the teaching and non-teaching cadres; discrimination against holders of HND in the appointment of Registrars and Bursars irrespective of their possession of higher level certificates; classification of technologists as non-teaching staff”

He said based on the review, NEC resolved that several provisions in the document fell short of the expected standards as earlier observed.

“Our Union is hereby issuing a 15 day ultimatum to proprietors of all public polytechnics for the owners of the document, the NBTE to suspend implementation of the identified provisions until the requisite amendments are effected.

“The ultimatum is with effect from 8th of July 2024. At the expiration of the 15-day ultimatum, the Union’s NEC will reconvene to decide a specific and legitimate course of action to address the issue,”Kpanja stated.