The Federal Government says it is pursing the release of N15b for the revitalisation of facilities in the public polytechnics in the country.
The Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu made this known in Abuja on Tuesday at a retreat for Chairmen of Governing Councils and Principal Officers of Federal Polytechnics.
The retreat which has its theme ” Improving Polytechnic Administration: The Role of Governing Councils and Management” is organised by NBTE in collaboration with the Committee of Federal Polytechnic Rectors (COFER).
Adamu, who was represented by the Acting Permanent Secretary, Mr David Gender added that the government was also planning to review the Scheme of Service as well as resolve the issue of CONTISS 15 Migration.
According to him, the Federal Government is effectively engaging the staff unions on their demands which will be geared towards the improvement in the quality of research teaching and learning in the sector.
” The Federal Government under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari is committed to rapid development of our education sector, with particular emphasis on Technical and vocational Education and Training [TVET).
” This is achieved through improvement of tertiary education funding majorly by TETFund, Central Bank of Nigeria, Niger Delta Development Commission, e.t.c.
” Unfortunately, efforts of government are hampered by the persistent corruption in the sector.
” However, one of the strategies the ministry is adopting in addressing the issues and challenges of Polytechnic Sector is the encouragement and support of periodic fund
raising initiatives,” he said.
Adamu said that initiatives were through the launch of endowment funds, patents, consultancy and commercialisation of research.
He also noted that of great importance was the provision in the National Policy on education under Technology Education, where not less than 70% of admissions into Polytechnics shall be in technology based courses.
He, therefore, charged the council and management to strictly comply with this Policy as the ministry would continue to monitor the level of compliance.
Adamu called for the support of participants at the retreat to collectively face the numerous challenges for the positive development of the education sector, national development and global competitiveness.
In a remark, the Executive Secretary, National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Prof. Idris Bugaje said that the TVET sector was under siege and it was important to save and turn the fortune of the sector around.
Bugaje bemoaned the upgrading of polytechnics to universities saying this would only lead to the degrading of polytechnics.
” The university is swallowing the polytechnics. Polytechnics and universities are parallel, we are not feeders.
” College of Education (COE) feed the university system. If you convert COE to university, you are upgrading it but if you convert polytechnic to university, you are degrading it and this will not help tye economy.
”We must stop this crave of converting polytechnics to universities. So I advocate a reverse of conversation of universities that are not doing well to polytechnics,” he said.
Also, Chairman Committee of Chairmen of Governing Councils, Mr. Waziri Bulama, said that the polytechnics needed the right leading role in skills development of the country.
Bulama said that the committee had come together to resolve the crisis between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP).
He added that the committee was working with NBTE and the ministry of education to promote policy that would ensure the sector received the needed attention.
