The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi Chapter, has rejected a document released by the National Board for Technical Education citing inconsistencies with existing laws and policy instruments governing polytechnics in Nigeria.
According to The PUNCH, ASUP Chairperson, Comrade Esther Adebitan, addressed a press conference, highlighting the union’s concerns and condemning discrimination against Higher National Diploma certificate holders compared to Bachelor’s degree holders from universities.
Adebitan, who expressed the union’s concerns over the document, stated that “the union has reviewed the document and found it to be inconsistent with existing laws and policy instruments governing polytechnics in Nigeria.”
She maintained that the union also condemned the discrimination against holders of Higher National Diploma certificates, compared to their Bachelor’s degree certificate counterparts from the universities.
“We affirm that Polytechnics cannot discriminate against its products in the manner prescribed in this document,” she stressed.
Continuing, Adebitan insisted, “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 and so on.”
The acting chairman explained that having deliberated extensively on the contents of the “controversial document” by the Union’s Think Tank Committee, as well as the Council of National, Officers of the Union, during the 110th meeting of the Union’s NEC, it hereby communicates the following specific findings:
“The document approved as Scheme of Service for Polytechnics contains significant and fundamental deviations from the document prepared by stakeholders in the sector and coordinated through a series of consultative engagements by the NBTE for over 6 years.
“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.
“Our conviction is that The Head of Civil Service of The Federation 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.”
Esther Adebitan cited several other contentious issues in the approved scheme while expressing fears that it will further marginalise HND holders in comparison to their counterparts with university degrees.
She emphasised that the discrimination against holders of HND certificates as against holders of Bachelor’s degrees from universities was further entrenched in the scheme.
According to her, “It is noteworthy to point out that a 15-day ultimatum in line with extant labour laws has been served the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Education and NBTE effective 8th of July, 2024, to suspend provisions containing these anomalies with a view to the review of such provisions or face diverse forms of industrial action by our union.”
