Members of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) at the Isa Mustapha Agwai Polytechnic in Lafia, Nasarawa State, have joined a nationwide protest against the newly introduced Scheme of Service (SOS) for Polytechnic staff by the Federal Government.
The national leadership of ASUP issued a 15-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to suspend the implementation of the SOS or face industrial action.
In response, the Nasarawa ASUP members held a peaceful protest in Lafia, expressing their grievances over the new scheme.
Dr. Illah Obadiah, Chairman of the ASUP at Isa Mustapha Agwai Polytechnic, addressed journalists after the protest, which lasted over an hour, criticizing the new scheme, and stating that it represented a severe threat to the polytechnic system.
“The document recently released by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) signifies a total suffocation of the polytechnic system.
“The introduction of National Skill Qualifications as a mandatory condition for academic staff career growth is unjust,” Obadiah stated.
He further condemned the new requirements, which he believed unfairly discriminated against Higher National Diploma holders in favour of degree holders for lecturing positions.
“A company that discriminates against its products in the manner NBTE has done is a company yet to be known anywhere in the world,” he added.
Obadiah also pointed out contentious requirements for the appointment of registrars, bursars, chief librarians, and the underrepresentation of technologists as non-teaching staff within the new scheme.
He labeled the entire document as an attack on career progression for polytechnic lecturers.
ASUP vowed not to accept the new scheme, which requires 26 years for lecturers to reach the highest level in the polytechnic, compared to 18 and 20 years for their counterparts in universities and colleges of education.
The protest in Nasarawa is part of a larger movement by ASUP chapters across the country, all standing in solidarity against the Federal Government’s new Scheme of Service.