Monday, December 14, 2015

COALESClNG OSUN STATE OWNED TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS: A TECHNOLOGICAL RETROGRESSION

The National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS), which is the mother association of all Polytechnics, Monotechnics, Colleges of Education, Colleges of Technology and other allied Institutions awarding National and higher National Diploma, have studied the recent disposition of the Osun state government to technical education and we see it as diametrically opposed to the progressive technological aspiration and dynamic technological emancipation of this country to a technologically advanced country.

It is highly pathetic and sympathetic that at a time the world is celebrating technicalities and embracing advancement of technological innovations, China with her endowment of technology converting over 600 universities to polytechnics as a reforming process to boost the production of technically trained graduates, a government in Nigeria could be proposing the conversion of polytechnics to tutorial centers by merging up four Institutions on the plans to restructure them.

Osun state government has failed woefully it's responsibilities to the educational sector, starved academic workers their pay, cause students months at home to idle away, kill private secondary education with high taxes, turn deaf ears to stakeholders agitation, propose merger of limited tertiary institutions rather providing progressive prescription to the underfunded educational sector in the state.

The impetuous decision of requesting the removal of the four state owned institutions from jamb directory without  considering candidates who already chose the schools as their preferred choice of institution, students currently counting the school calender for their days on campus, and alumni banking on the alma-mata, revealed the gap between the isolated government and her people.

The downsizing shock that will erupt from the merger contrary to the employment opportunities promised by the APC indicates an ideological derail that requires an urgent attention before hope is lost and a no confidence vote is cast on the party. Regrets rocking our hearts to have invested and supported a failed government whose reward of appreciation is months of industrial actions and scraping of our institutions.

Petitions, appeals, press briefing, etc. have all been at one time or the other forwarded by several student leaders to express our displeasure on the action plan but without any appreciable result. The leadership of National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) perceive the development as a threat to technology advancement and an effort to sabotage the struggle of abolishing Hnd /Bsc dichotomy.

There may be times we are powerless to prevent injustice but there should never be a time we fail to protest. The day a society stops to protest, that day marks the beginning of the end of progress in that society. The leadership of NAPS enjoin the executive governor of Osun State to reverse his decision on converting our Institutions to tutorial centers or risk meeting with millions of armless battalion students in the spirit of true activism.


Osun State Polytechnic Iree, College of Technology Esa-Oke, College of Education Ila-Orangun and College of Education Ilesha have all been in existence before the inception of Governor Rauf Aregbesola in office and will continue to remain even after the lapses of his tenure, as any attempt to merge or scrap our schools is a war that will meet the readiness of armless soldiers.

Signed
Comr Olugbode H. Damola (D-mode)
NAPS National PRO

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