ASUP WARNING STRIKE: THE NEED FOR A REFORMED POLYTECHNIC EDUCATION IN NIGERIA

Polytechnic education remains the pivot of technological advancement in Nigeria.

All machineries in place to suspend academic activities on all polytechnic campuses across the country from 30^th  January, 2017 by ASUP in a protest to the nonpayment of staff salaries in most state institutions, non implementation of the needs assessment report 2014, non removal of entry dichotomy between HND and degrees, non review of polytechnic act, victimization of union officials, and non release of check off dues among other reasons, confirms  the unending hypocritical disposition of the federal government towards polytechnic education in Nigeria.

Lack of passion towards the advancement of polytechnic education best describes the deaf ears turned to the genuine agitation of the staff union by federal government despite the severity of the issues raised. Expiration of the one month ultimatum issued by the union to draw the government attention to issues at hand not yielding a serious commitment further reveals the attempt of the federal government to deliberately expose Nigerian students to the danger of idleness.  

Record shows that the attention polytechnic education enjoys is far beneath that of the university counterpart which is solely responsible for the infrastructural decay, low academic standard, obsolete facilities, etc, witness in polytechnic sector. Federal government should learn to take polytechnic education serious, and stop playing kite with the future of polytechnic students. Attention should be spread evenly across all tertiary institutions, technological education should be given adequate investment to grow, and our polytechnics should be reformed.

When elephants fight, the grass bears the consequence, we the students stand at the receiving end of the strike. Nigeria students will no longer give chances for our carrier and future to be put on hold for any reason whatsoever, we are yet to recover from the 2012/ 2013 strike which paralysis a whole academic calendar. We request the federal government meet up with the demands of our lecturers and make them see reasons to return back to class before 72hrs which lapses on 1^st February 2017 or we commence mobilization to shut down all federal roads passing through our school gate.

However, our lecturers should not be carpenters who see every problem as nails, industrial actions should not be the approach to all issues, a more diplomatic approach should be melted out to resolve issues with the government when need arises. We understand the genuity of the struggle but appeals the lecturers return to class why negotiation continues. Our future is at stake, our carrier is fading, and we don’t want to idle away, please hear the cry of your students.

Signed:

Comr. Olugbode Damola H

NAPS National PRO

(08068360731)