The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, Zone C comprising of the South-West and Kwara State, on Monday, faulted the government for remaining silent over the 15-day strike ultimatum issued last week to address some of the issues affecting the polytechnic education in the country.
The leadership of ASUP condemned an alleged undue exercise of oversight function and interference of the National Board for Technical Education with respect to admission of students into the polytechnics in the country.
The union urged its members to get set for the struggle ahead should the government fail to respond to its demands after the 15 days ultimatum issued on October 7, would have lapsed
The ASUP Coordinator of Zone C, Comrade Adekunle Masopa disclosed this at a press briefing held at Abraham Adesanya Polytechnic, Ijebu Igbo.
Masopa said that it was unfair for the government to have kept mute since last week when the union issued the ultimatum saying that the lecturers would definitely not have to be blamed should they decide to embark on strike at the expiration of the ultimatum.
The Zonal Coordinator rebuked the government for not showing enough support for the polytechnic education which has the mandate and capacity to drive the technological advancement of the country saying that the union would however not fold its hand and watch the collapse of this crucial sector of our national development.
He said that the issues of concern to the unions include the failure of the National Board for Technical Education to comply with resolutions reached in July 2024 between NBTE and ASUP on the contentious reviewed scheme of service, undue oversight function and arrogation of the power vested on the Academic Board of various institutions by NBTE with respect to the admission of students into the Higher National Diploma programmes
Others are non-payment of promotion arrears spanning between three to five years in Federal Polytechnics and recurring delays in implementation of promotion in state Polytechnics, non-implementation of 25/35% consequential salary adjustment which takes effect from January 2023 with available information revealing that the Southwest and Kwara States are yet to implement this while the federal government has one-year arrears of January to December 2023 among others.
Punch