Several edicts creating state-owned institutions; persistent reports of impunity and disregard for explicit provisions of the Federal Polytechnics Act are some of the topics up for debate and agitation.
ASUP Gives FG A 15-Days Warning Due To Persistent Problems
The Federal Government has been given a 15-day ultimatum by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) to address various issues that are preventing polytechnics and monotechnics across the nation from operating smoothly, or else there will be protracted labour unrest.
Lumpye Simji, speaking to reporters at the Plateau State Polytechnic in Barkin Ladi, Plateau State Zonal Coordinator Zone B, said that at the national executive council’s most recent meeting, they reviewed the current state of their interactions with the owners of the nation’s public polytechnics, colleges of technology, and monotechnics, with a focus on some concerning issues that the polytechnic sector is facing.
Discussions and agitation have focused on a number of issues, such as persistent reports of impunity and disregard for the Federal Polytechnics Act’s explicit provisions; various decrees establishing state-owned institutions; and other instruments of governance in the sector, particularly those pertaining to the appointment of principal officers in federal and state-owned institutions and other governance-related matters in polytechnics.
The non-release of service conditions, the non-review of the controversial and suspended Scheme of Service for Polytechnics document, the non-release of the second tranche of the needs assessment intervention funds, and other issues are among the others.”State governments’ refusal to carry out the 25/35% member salary review and their failure to release the arrears for the same in federal polytechnics.”
“In certain state-owned institutions, promotion is not implemented, and promotion arrears are not paid in state and federal institutions.” The union leadership added.
Following that, the union’s national executive council demanded an immediate review and reversal of any decisions or acts of impunity that were at odds with the Polytechnics Act’s provisions and other sector-specific instruments of governance.As decided in the July 2024 tripartite meeting, it also resolved to start the review process of the suspended Scheme of Service for Polytechnics document right away.
Other decisions include the release of the second tranche of the needs assessment intervention fund for public polytechnics and colleges of technology; cessation of all acts undermining, or duplicating the responsibilities of academic boards of polytechnics in students’ admission processes by the note as demonstrated by its recent launch of a students’ admission portal; the inclusion of the negotiated peculiar academic allowance in the budget against post IPPIS payment scheme and template for members; immediate implementation of the approved 25/35% salary review across all tertiary institutions in the states, and the payment of the accrued arrears.
The union stated that, in light of the aforementioned demands, it has decided to keep pushing for the nation’s education system to be both functional and monotechnic.
It then gave owners of public polytechnics a legally mandated 15-day ultimatum, starting on October 7, 2024, to resolve the issues or risk various types of trade disputes.