The National Chairman of Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics ( ASUP) Anderson Ezeibe has said that some policies of the federal government have killed polytechnic education in Nigeria.
Delivering a keynote lecture during a 3 day International conference organized by Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Ikot Osurua campus, Akwa Ibom state on the theme ” Redefining The Mandate Of Polytechnic Education For Economic Diversification And Sustainability”, Ezeibe disclosed that government has tactically killed technological education in Nigeria through unfavourable policies.
Ezeibe listed some of the federal government policies working against polytechnic education including the HND/BSc dichotomy, the inability to enhance academic continuity for HND graduates, and the disparity between HND/BSc holders in government circles among others.
The National Chairman of ASUP lamented a situation where Welders were hired from India for Dangote refinery project at the expense of Polytechnic graduates adding that such an attitude encouraged capital flight while homegrown polytechnic manpower walloped in unemployment.
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He regretted that the mandate of Polytechnic education has failed over the years as the government has not integrated them into national planning, especially in the technological development drive.
” Negligence of Polytechnics mandate has resulted in a high level of unemployment, poverty and poor entrepreneurship.
” Polytechnics education is not encouraged. In some Polytechnics, the student population is less than 1000 while some state governors change their Polytechnics to Universities instead of developing them.
” Government is demarketing Polytechnic education through their policies. The law that established Polytechnic education must be reviewed to meet emerging realities in our nation’s technological development. ”
Ezeibe who was a Lead Lecturer at the 3-day conference urged the federal government to integrate polytechnic education to meet the objective of lifting quality life in the sustainable development goals.
” Government should migrate away from monolithic economic model through diversification and promote skills education to meet skill need of the nation .”
He charged all stakeholders in education to work in synergy to mainstream Polytechnic education into the nation’s development plan.
” This will ensure that the government pays the right attention to funding Polytechnics, and migrate the tertiary level of certification to Bachelor of Technology with National Diploma retained as a feed for Bachelor of Technology.
” Reverse the infrastructure deficits, review curriculum and address the issue of staff remuneration to retain qualified personnel as well as restore technical colleges as feed for OND programmes across the nation,” he said.
