ASUP CHAIRMAN CRIES OUT CAUTION OVER CONVERSION OF POLYS TO VARSITIES
No fewer than 20 of polytechnics and COE have been converted by federal and state governments to universities across the country.
For instance, in Lagos State, the government has converted the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education to Lagos State University of Education and the Lagos State Polytechnic to Lagos State University of Science and Technology.
Also, the Oyo State Government converted the Emmanuel Alayande College of Education to a university of education and ditto for the Osun State government that changed the COE in Ilesha to a university.
Recently, the Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, received approval from the National Universities Commission to upgrade the state-owned Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, to a university.
The Governor of Delta State, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, announced the conversion of the College of Education, Agbor, to the Delta State University of Education, and the Delta State Polytechnic, Ozoro, to the Delta State University of Science and Technology.
The Governor Of Ebonyi State Engr. David Nweze Umahi is seeking for the Conversion of Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic Unwana to University of Science and Technology. The list is endless!
The National President of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, Dr. Anderson Ezeibe, said it boils down to the lack of vision on the part of government officials to embark on such gesture.
He wondered if the state officials were saying that the polytechnics and the colleges had no mandates that led to their set up.
“The pertinent question is whether the need for such manpower has been satisfied. They are doing this because most admission seekers are not applying to the polytechnics and colleges because of the discrimination against graduates of these schools.
“Our proposal of allowing polytechnics to attain degree-awarding status will resolve all these issues: satisfy the quest for degree-level certification, deepen technical/technological education through curricula enhancement, retain the expanding pool of qualified manpower in the polytechnics, attract funding and stop the HND/degree dichotomy”.
“Our proposal is that the National Diploma certification be rated as the middle-level manpower and used to feed the bachelor of technology certification to be awarded by polytechnics in their names as polytechnics,” he said.
