ASUP insists on establishment of National Polytechnics Commission

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) Sunday said establishment of National Polytechnics Commission (NPC) would bring about better regulation of the polytechnic education in Nigeria.

A statement signed by Comrade Shammah Kpanja, president of ASUP said the proposed commission which is awaiting final reading at the House of Representatives would align with the practice in the other two tertiary education sub sectors in the country.

Comrade Kpanja further said moves to create a commission to regulate technical and vocational education in the country is a role within the purview of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and is mere change of name without the desired impact on the regulation of polytechnics in Nigeria.

He said with the exponential growth in the number and profile of polytechnics over the past 4 decades, as well as the explosion in the numbers of institutions under the regulatory regime of the NBTE, ASUP has been making demands for the establishment of a separate commission to regulate the tertiary education institutions found in the current mix of over 700 institutions under the NBTE.

The statement reads: “We have been reading reports from different media outlets on the establishment of a commission to regulate technical and vocational education in the country.

“This role is currently within the purview of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) established since 1977. Nigerian Polytechnics (and Monotechnics) represent the tertiary education institutions under the regulation of the NBTE.

With the exponential growth in the number and profile of polytechnics over the past 4 decades, as well as the explosion in the numbers of institutions under the regulatory regime of the NBTE, our union has been making demands (and rightfully so) for the establishment of a separate commission to regulate the tertiary education institutions found in the current mix of over 700 institutions under the NBTE.

“This will not only ensure improved regulation of these tertiary institutions but also align with the practice in the other two tertiary education sub sectors in the country,” he said.