The National President of Kaduna Polytechnic Association, Abba Anas Adamu, says lack of adequate funding has greatly affected Nigerian polytechnics for years.
The President, speaking at the Annual General Meeting of the Association held in Kaduna, said only technical education can move Nigeria forward and out of the unfortunate economic situation.
According to him, from 1960 to 2023, the average allocation made to education was a meagre 5.94%, which is far short of the UNESCO recommendation of 15-20% of the annual budgets or 4-6% of Gross Domestic Product.
He said even for the year 2024, the allocation for education is 7.9% of the total Federal budget, which is about N2.18 trillion, stressing that Nigeria’s adherence to the UNESCO benchmarks is lower than many less endowed African countries like Ghana, South Africa, Senegal, Kenya, and Morocco.
“I am sad to say that at the tertiary level, Nigerian polytechnics have received less of the little funds allocated to education. For instance, in 2024, each university is to receive a total of N1,906,944,930.00, colleges of education to receive N1,398,426,282.00 each, and polytechnics only N1,165,355,235.00 each.
“This greatly affects the state of infrastructure for learning and welfare of students and staff in polytechnics. Even though we know only technical education can move Nigeria forward and out of the unfortunate economic situation,” he said.
He further explained that the issue of the lack of uniformity in the conditions of service for polytechnic staff across the nation is troubling.
He emphasized that the disparity not only affects staff morale but also undermines the ability to attract and retain the best teachers and administrators.
He equally lamented on the dichotomy between the Bachelor of Science degrees and Higher National Diplomas (HND), which remains a critical barrier to the career progression and societal recognition of their graduates.
In his remarks, Professor M.S Hatuna, who served as the chairman of the occasion, commended the Alumni for their activities but urged them to do more to reach out to other alumni members across the country.
He equally commended companies that assisted in renovating the hall and the Secretariat after reaching out to them as part of their contribution to the development of the Alumni association.
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