The Academics Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP) on Thursday demanded for the unbundling and replacement of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) with a National Polytechnic Commission (NPC).
The body, which is currently on strike, said the NBTE has shown “seeming incapacity to decisively address deluge of challenges confronting polytechnics” in Nigeria.
The ASUP Zone “C” Coordinator, Olawale Omobaorun, who was flanked the National Vice-President, Timothy Ogunseye, said this while addressing journalists at the premises of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY), Abeokuta, Ogun state.
He insisted that the ongoing nationwide strike of the union continues until the federal government honours the agreements entered into with the union since 2010.
Omobaorun said the FG has reached three different agreements with the union but till now failed to honour the agreements.
He listed 2010 FGN/ASUP agreement, 2014 Memorandum of Settlement and 2017 Memorandum of Action, insisting that at last week’s meeting with the federal government, no single conclusion was reached on all the agreements.
He revealed that one of the specific issues that led to the protracted 2013/2014 strike is the non-implementation of the needs assessment report of 2014 which is yet to be implemented.
“The essential components of these agreements cover working conditions of members of our union, review of obsolete legal regimes and other policy documents which serve as governing instruments in the sector, non-existence/ deplorable state of the existing facilities, including classrooms, libraries, students’ hostels, laboratories, workshops, studios and office accommodation.
“Discriminatory policies against the sector and its products, victimisation of union leaders and non-payment of members’ salaries in several states.
“With the deluge of challenges that pervade the sector and National Board for Technical Education (NBTE’s) seeming incapacity to decisively address them, unbundling the Board has become more than ever imperative to be replaced with a National Polytechnic Commission (NPC),” he said.
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