Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has given a 15-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to suspend the implementation of the newly introduced Scheme of Service (SOS) for Polytechnics staff or face industrial action.
The union vowed to pursue the issue to a logical conclusion, saying the SOS lacked inclusive stakeholders’ input, particularly from ASUP.
Zonal Coordinator Zone A, ASUP, Dr. Abdul Azeez Ibrahim Badaru, who disclosed this while addressing a news conference in Kaduna on Thursday, said a document titled ‘Scheme of Service (SOS) released by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) would be opposed unless all points of contention in the same document are addressed.
He explained that the importation of sub-tertiary level qualifications, such as National Skills Qualifications (NSQ), as obligatory prerequisites for the career advancement of Academic Staff within polytechnics were deemed laughable.
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The zonal coordinator said the NQS lacked substantive value in enhancing the delivery of curricula in polytechnics, serving as an undue burden without corresponding professional development.
Badaru said the union rejected NQS inclusion as a mandatory criterion for academic staff career advancement.
According to him, the splitting of the senior lecturer level into Senior Lecturer II and Senior Lecturer I will create unnecessary complexities and further lengthen the lecturer cadre structure.
“‘We wish to stress that we studied the document thoroughly and we are committed to pursuing these issues to their logical conclusions. It’s crucial to highlight that we have issued a 15-day ultimatum to the federal government effective July 8 to suspend the implementation of this rough work called ‘Scheme of Service for the Polytechnics or face diverse forms of industrial actions by our union,” he said.
The union demanded a return to the status quo and a reduction of the lecturer cadre from a 9-step to a 7-step structure with a maximum of three-year waiting period for progression between steps.
The union also said the introduction of non-academic designations such as Assistant Director (Library) and Deputy Director (Library) undermined the academic nature of the librarian cadre and was unacceptable.
The union also said that the preferential treatment given to bachelor degrees over Higher National Diploma (HND) qualifications for the appointment of registrars and bursars was discriminatory.
They claimed that the document also showed bias against HND holders, which undermines progress against the unacceptable practice, warning that the polytechnics should not discriminate against their graduates.
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