The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, has threatened that it would embark on an indefinite strike action over an alleged imposition of a defective Scheme of Service for Polythenics by the National Board of Technical Education, NBTE.
ASUP stressed that the document was defective and contentious, handing NBTE a 15-Day ultimatum to review the entire document that does not support growth of Polytechnics education in the nation.
The Zone D of the ASUP comprising of Polytechnics in South South and South East took this decision after a meeting at Captain Elechi Amadi Polythenics, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Tuesday.
Addressing newsmen at the end of the meeting, the Zonal Coordinator of ASUP zone D, Comrade Dr. Iloma Richard, noted that the Scheme of Service for the Polytechnics as released by NBTE contained fundamental deviations from the expectations of the stakeholders and staff members of Polytechnics.
Richard stated that NBTE was making all efforts to impose the said defective document on the sector, adding that the board has failed to convene meetings of stakeholders to address areas of regrets about the document.
He particularly mentioned that the Scheme of service as released by NBTE introduced a sub-tertiary educational level qualification referred to as, National Skills Qualification (NQS) as a mandatory requirement for promotion of academic staff members,
He further said the document introduced discriminatory lowering of the entry point for employment of graduate assistants to the advantage of B.Sc holders, and unnecessarily split of senior lecturer cadre to 1 and 2.
He said the document is against career progression of Polytechnics staff members and would lead to collapse of Polythenics education in Nigeria, calling for immediate suspension of the implementation of the Scheme.
He said: “After a careful review and scrutiny of the highly anticipated document by our union with very great enthusiasm from our members, it was regrettably found wanting as several aspects of the document contained fundamental deviations from the draft outcome of hitherto held stakeholders’ engagements.
“These strange insertions are not only repugnant but highly discriminatory and thus,unacceptable.
“It is in view of the above, that the Zone D of our union, comprising of all States in South-South and South-East Nigeria, strongly endorse the position of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the Union by asking for the immediate Suspension of implementation of all identified areas of contention for review, and initiation of a review process through a stakeholders’ engagement.
“This position of the Union has been well-articulated by our National leadership and formally transmitted to all relevant authorities with a subsisting 15-day ultimatum effective, July 8th-22nd,2024.
“We shall comply fully and swiftly mobilize our members from all Chapters in the Zone if at the expiration of the ultimatum and upon the failure of the regulatory body to do the needful, NEC directs any form of industrial action. The nation should therefore hold the NBTE responsible for any such breakdown of industrial harmony in our institutions.”
However, Ex-Officio, and Immediate Past National President of ASUP. Comrade Anderson Ezeibe, regrettably disclosed that inputs by stakeholders into the scheme of service were expunged.
He said: “Stakeholder repelled the document between 2018, and 2021. The document was jettisoned what was brought out was different. So we have all rejected the document and we are very vigorous about it.”
