The Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing through the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has propose an Energizing Education Programme (EEP) initiative to rejuvenate the education system through electrifying a total of 37 federal universities and & 7 university teaching hospitals, with Independent Power Plants (IPPS), which is aimed at boosting effective learning, innovation and advancement through uninterrupted power supply.
The programme as good as it seems, is cooked with discrimination against the Polytechnic education, with no excuse good enough to justify the exclusion of Federal Polytechnics from the Energizing Education Programme other than discrimination at its peak. A programme to rejuvenate the education system sectionalized only to the university community without consideration for the Polytechnics and Colleges of Education is a proposed plan to kill other educational system in the country.
Extending electrification to rural and underserved areas where the institutions are located ultimately as part of the benefit of the programme is the more reason why Polytechnics and other educational system must partake in the initiative. Polytechnic are more located in remote areas, whatever criteria’s that chooses Federal Universities should accommodate Federal Polytechnics to give a level developmental grounds for all the system in the educational sector.
It is disheartening that the Federal Ministry of Education is a party to the discrimination against the Polytechnic education, the supervising Ministry of educational activities in Nigeria which is expected to know better and guild her counterpart ministry on how to go about the Programme failed, only to give consent to the segregation of other sectors to facilitate an interactive session with the vice chancellors and directors of physical planning of the affected universities.
National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) frown at the discrimination, calls for the inclusion of Federal Polytechnics in the EEP Initiative, Polytechnics should be given the benefit to enjoy an uninterrupted and dedicated power supply through the Off-grid Independent Power Project electricity, and also optimized security for the safety and wellbeing of students and staff through the installation of streetlights on campus.
Polytechnics as institution with practical based orientations are more in need of constant power supply to meet up world class trainings, research and teachings can be boost to professionalism, with significant impact on the quality of graduates produced, thereafter contributing remarkably to the production and invention of technology in Nigeria.
NAPS leadership would not hesitate to mobilize Polytechnic Students to the streets to press home the inclusion of Federal Polytechnics in the EEP Initiate, what is good for the geese is equally good for the gander. Polytechnics should not be subdue, segregated or discriminated against for any reason whatsoever. The sincerity of the Federal government to abolish the HND/ BSC dichotomy is in doubt and can only be redeemed by the immediate capturing of polytechnics in the proposed EEPI programme.
Signed
Comrade Olugbode Damola H
NAPS National Vice President (National Affairs) 08068360731
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