The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), on February 11 2015, issued a two-week strike notice to the Federal Government (FG) to implement the agreement it reached with the union over four years ago, or it would compel members to down tools. The ultimatum expired yesterday with the union threatening to embark on an indefinite strike if the FG failed to attend to all pending issues raised in its ultimatum. Two other polytechnic unions, the Non Academic Staff Union of Educational and Allied Institutions (NASU), and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP) are also spoiling for a fight.
The polytechnic lecturers’ suspended an almost one year strike last year following promises made by Education Minister, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau; but the union said none of the items on their list of demands and grievances has been settled. The way things stand; we may be on the verge of another strike season once again.
The Minister, on assumption of office pledged that there would be no strikes under his watch and he demonstrated his seriousness with the no-strike resolve by personally intervening to end the protracted ASUP industrial action embarked upon on October 4, 2013. To his credit too, the universities have been quiet for now due partly to the N200 billion intervention funds released by the FG as part of the governments’ negotiation with ASUU.
So what has changed and why are polytechnic lecturers considering the strike option again given the fact that the sector has not fully recovered from the previous one? Addressing journalists after its National Executive Council, NEC, meeting in Abuja last week, President of ASUP, Dr. Chibuzor Asomugha – in addition to their ultimatum demands -, also demanded the immediate dissolution of Governing Councils of Federal Polytechnic, Oko, in Anambra State and that of Ado Ekiti in Ekiti State for allegedly creating avoidable problems in their institutions.
Some of the demands, according to Dr. Asomugha, include the continued discrimination against polytechnic graduates, both in the public service and the labour market in Nigeria and the non-release of white paper on visitation panels to Federal Polytechnics.
The purported suspension of the Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Salary Scale (CONTISS) 15 migration for the lower cadres and its arrears from 2009 when salary structure was approved, the non-establishment of a National Polytechnic Commission and the “wrongful recognition” of the National Board for Technical Education, NBTE, as the regulatory body for polytechnics are key elements of their demands.
Additionally, the lecturers also want more funding for polytechnics, appointment of competent people into governing councils and adequate funding of state polytechnics by their various owners.
Asomugha stated that since the suspension of previous strike and “despite our strong reminders to government on the pending issues and repeated assurances from the minister, none of the issues has been addressed to a logical conclusion. In a strange twist, rather, and without recourse to the content and spirit of the understanding on which the union suspended the strike, the Federal Ministry of Education on the 26th of January 2015, under the guise of a proposed verification exercise, issued a circular directing the suspension of the CONTISS 15 Salary Structure which implementation dates back to 2009, thereby, creating further confusion in the sector.”
He added that the development “is provocative, ill timed, retrogressive, and is a flagrant breach of the trust and character of the agreement that led to the suspension of the strike in July, 2014. We are lost as to the real intent and objective of the Federal Ministry of Education in stirring the hornet’s nest at a time when our nation is in the throes of a challenging transition.”
In fairness, some of the issues, which led the polytechnic teachers to abandon the classrooms, are broad and wide-ranging. Most of us would agree that some have lingered for decades; others require action by the National Assembly. Take for instance the long standing agitation to end the dichotomy between university and polytechnic graduates, as a legitimate demand. This demand – to the best of my knowledge – has curricular, legal and labour implications, requiring an enabling legislation by the National Assembly.
On the other hand, I believe that other outstanding issues like the establishment of a National Polytechnic Commission, release of White Paper of the visitations to Federal Polytechnics and inadequate funding, are matters that can be resolved through dialogue. From all indication, it appears the lecturers’ have been patient with the government and would want the ministry to demonstrate that it is serious in addressing the myriad of problems confronted polytechnics.
On January 5, 2006 – while in office as President – Chief Olusegun Obasanjo approved a policy which reversed the discriminatory policy restricting holders of the Higher National Diploma (HND) from rising above Level 14 in the civil service. Instructively, Mrs. Chinwe Obaji, then Minister of Education and members of the House of Representatives Committee on Education were present at the meeting where the decision was reached.
Prior to that policy statement, there had been a long drawn – and I will add, unnecessary – battle about which is superior: university degrees or polytechnic diplomas. Both in the public and private sectors, they are put to the test as employers of labour – wittingly or unwittingly – discriminate against polytechnic graduates. This was what informed the decision – a couple of years ago – of turning some prominent polytechnics in the country into universities.
This dichotomy is also played on the national scene, and even in the media. The better part of 2013 was dedicated to the trench warfare between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the FG. Interestingly too, the ASUP was on strike before ASUU, but theirs was not given the requisite attention. ASUP had gone on strike on April 17, 2013, more than two months before the ASUU began its own strike action on July 1, 2013.
At a point ASUP suspended its strike – on July 17, 2013 – to prepare grounds for negotiation with the FG only for it to be resumed again. However, because of Shekarau’s appeal the action was called off. It now behooves on him to ensure that we do not go back to the bad days when students’ lose a whole session because government and the unions could not find a common negotiation ground.
To put a finger on the dilemma polytechnics and colleges of education face is to understand the psyche of those in government, and Nigerians generally. For instance, in a 2012 interview with Vanguard newspaper, Professor Godwin Onu, Rector, Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Anambra State, said that experience in the sector had taught him that most youths prefer gaining admission into universities than polytechnics or colleges of education.
“Only very few choose polytechnics as their first choice because of some particular courses and this can be attributed to societal values on varsity/polytechnic education. I’m not saying that the university is better than polytechnics or colleges of education, but I think if polytechnics are converted to polytechnic universities, it would solve most of these problems,” he was quoted as saying.
Prof. Olu Akeusola, Provost, Michael Otedola College of Primary Education (MOCPED), Epe, Lagos State, also echoed this line when he said, “Nigerians will put education institutes in crisis if the discrimination against polytechnics and colleges of education continues.
Now that we’ve gone full circle what should the minister do? If really the circular suspending the CONTISS emanated from his office he should explain the reason for this given that it had been agreed upon by both parties. Strikes I must stress – inflict untold hardship on students, parents, the community and the system and destabilise the very institutions the strikers claim to be fighting for. We have tried the strike option numerous times and seen the consequences.
The minister should strive to ensure this strike is averted, especially in this tense transition period. We also need to erase the stereotype and assumption that polytechnics only cater for mechanics and the hospitality industry. In reality, media, arts, design, business, fine arts, film, engineering, and journalism are all available at polytechnics.
