The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Polytechnic

  • Poly Chairmen, Minister meet on strike

    The Governing Council Chairmen of Polytechnics and Colleges of Education have met with the Supervising Minister of Education, Nyelson Wike on how to resolve the going industrial action embarked upon by their lecturers.

    The Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union [COEASU] has been on strike for the past six months, while the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic [ASUP] strike is eight months old.

    The Chairman of the Governing Council of Adeyemi College of Education in Ondo, Ambassador John Musa Jen disclosed the meeting at a press conference to commence the institution’s 50th anniversary and 33 [Special] Convocation ceremony.

    He described the strike as regrettable and unfortunate, adding that lasting solution must be found to stop insistent strike in the country.

    He noted that industrial action had forced Chairmen of the Governing Councils of the affected institutions to have a retreat with the supervising Minister of Education last week where decision to engage the unions in useful and productive dialogue was taken.
    Briefing reporters on the ceremony activities, Jen said 5,147 students of the institution including 1,622 in National Certificate in Education (NCE) and 3,459 in various degrees in fields of study would graduate with different grades.
    According to him, the convocation ceremony covering 2010/2011 and 2011/2012 academic sessions produced four fist class graduants, 416 second class upper, 1,831 second class lower and 102 pass students.

  • Ibadan poly lecturers call off strike

    Members of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), The Polytechnic Ibadan chapter, on Monday  called off  its two months-old  strike.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the union went on strike on Dec. 30, 2013 over various demands, including under funding of the institution.

    Other demands were proper constitution of the Governing Council and payment of  the 40 per cent balance of hazard allowance which management promised to pay since 2013.

    The union also  demanded  the appointment of a substantive rector  which the state government had already done.

    The Registrar of the institution,  Mr Hezekiah Fehintola, in a statement made available to NAN on Monday  confirmed that the institution resumed after a fruitful meeting with the new Rector, Prof. Olatunde Fawole.

    Fehintola added that arrangement  had been put in place for students to resume in all campuses immediately.

    NAN reports that students were seen receiving lectures on Monday during a  visit to  the campus.

    Miss Ebulomo Ariremako  of the Department of Office Technology  said she was excited when the union called off the strike.

    “I have been praying for the resumption because I was just at home doing nothing,’’ she said.

    Miss Olayemi Adewole, a student in the Geology Department, expressed concern that the strike had  affected the academic session.

    “Although I was not happy with the strike; I was busy  sewing clothes  with my mother which reduced the  boredom,’’ she said.

    Mr Adegoke Sharafa  of the Civil Engineering Department expressed the hope that academic work in the institution would continue uninterrupted  since a new rector and registrar had  been appointed.

    “Now that a new rector and registrar had  been appointed, I expect a good academic session for our institution,’’ he said.

    The ASUP Chairman, Mr Adebayo Phillips,  also confirmed to NAN that the union had called off its strike  while lectures had commenced immediately. (NAN)

  • Polytechnic woos games sponsors

    The Chairman of the Local Organising Committee of the 18th Nigeria Polytechnic Games (NIPOGA) scheduled for next June, Mallam Usman Buhari, has said the Federal Polytechnic, Bida in Niger State, needs N1.3 billion to host the games.

    He said: “We are determined to surpass what Ede did in all ramifications. We are providing a well-equipped media centre to enable journalists to file their reports. Our facilities will have flood light so as to have games played in the evening, which has never been done in the history of NIPOGA. Right now, work is ongoing at the two basketball courts. We are building a main bowl which will include tartan track, indoor sport hall, tennis court and we are upgrading our existing facilities.”

    Buhari called on corporate bodies to support the school by constructing some of these facilities. “They should take up one of these projects; build it and brand it. We don’t need their money, but the facilities. We are appealing to corporate organisations im Nigeria to assist us in providing the facilities that we need to host this game.

    The LOC chairman said there was no going back on the date for the games, adding that the institution has the facilities to accommodate all the 3000 athletes expected to participate in the games. He reiterated the commitment of the polytechnic to host all the games in Bida and ruled out the possibility of using Minna, the Niger State capital, as venue.

    Buhari said the school is not hosting the game to have a competitive edge over the participating schools.

    “We have put in place necessary structures to ensure mercenaries are fished out. People should not see it as a do or die event. We are not desperate to win but rather, we are determined to leave a lasting impression on the stakeholders. Bida is a friendly town and people here are always warm to receive visitors. We are working in conjunction with all relevant security agencies to ensure maximum security. We are going it all the attention it requires,” he stated.

    The LOC boss also urged the public to design a logo and mascot for the games which should reflect the environment (BIDA). The launching of the logo and mascot comes up next April. The organisers said the games would feature 15 sports. They included basket ball, handball, volley bal, football, athletics, hockey, table tennis, tennis taekwondo, squash, chess, scrabble, judo and badminton.

  • C’River establishes special polytechnic

    Cross River State Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke, yesterday performed the ground-breaking for the construction of the new Institute of Technology and Management in Ugep, Yakurr Local Government.

    The Institute, which is to be run by the Highbury College, Portsmouth, United Kingdom, will commence academic programmes in October, the governor disclosed.

    The ground-breaking ceremony flagged off construction of physical works at the site of the institute.

    Imoke revealed that the institute will run a demand-driven curriculum that will ensure that at least 90 percent of its graduates get employment the moment they leave school.

    According to him, government went to United Kingdom to solicit the assistance of those who have the experience to come down and start the institution, stating that the foreigners need their support and cooperation to ensure that it works.

    He urged the people not to interfere with the administrative and employment policies of the school in its effort to be a first class institution.

    “It is designed to meet the demands and needs of the market as well as generate unprecedented employment skills in Cross River,” he said.

    The governor promised to undertake a weekly supervision of ongoing construction work to ensure it is completed and commissioned in October.

    According to Professor Ivara Esu, one-time Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Highbury College will manage and maintain the institute because of its reputation as the highest classified college in the United Kingdom.

  • Mapoly students block road over lecturers strike

    Mapoly students block road over lecturers strike

    Thousands of students of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta on Thursday morning blocked
the four lanes Abeokuta - Siun - Sagamu road, trapping hundreds of vehicles wanting
to leave or enter the state capital.

The students who obstructed the traffic flow on both sides of the road at the point
of entrance to the Oke Mosan Governor's Office, Abeokuta with their buses, were
protesting the nationwide strike embarked upon polytechnic lecturers across the
country.

The protest was led by the Students Union Government President, Anbdul- Gafar
Adeleye and other executives. They had embarked upon the peaceful protest to the
Governor's Office, to plead with Senator Ibikunle Amosun to prevail on the lecturers
of MAPOLY to back out of the strike like their counterparts in some institutions.

Lecturers of the state - owned institution had joined the month old strike in
compliance with the directive from their national body,  to compel the State and
Federal Governments among other issues, to enlongate the retirement age of
polytechnic teachers as well as halt the disparity in treatment by employers of
labour between graduates of polytechnics and that of the universities.

  • Killing polytechnic education

    SIR: Should our polytechnics continued to be relegated to the background? This question has been asked times without any consensus as to whether the answer should be in the affirmative or not.

    This confusion is worsened by the government’s inability to be decisive and make up its mind on what it hopes to do with polytechnic education. This inconsistency in public policy formulation and implementation could largely explain why our polytechnics will have to be on strike for several weeks running without anybody really doing something concrete to end the imbroglio.

    Members of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics have down tools over the non-constitution of governing councils for Polytechnics, Monotechnics, and Colleges of Technology; non-release of government white paper of the visitation panels to federal polytechnics; and non-commencement of the NEEDS Assessments of the Nigerian polytechnics.

    Others grievances include need for the changing of the deplorable conditions of state government-owned polytechnics, monotechnics and Colleges of Technology; the continued appointment of unqualified persons as rectors and provosts by some state governments and the failure of most state governments to implement the approved salary package (CONPCASS), and 65 year retirement age for their members.

    To any discernible mind, the agitations put forward by the workers are legitimate and reasonable. What is worrisome, however, is the inability of the appropriate agencies in addressing the issues raised but this is not happening maybe because it’s about the polytechnics.

    It is saddening that polytechnic education in Nigeria is being treated with disdain, culminating into why their graduates are regularly stigmatized in the labour market.

    Despite what critics may say that polytechnics have outlived their usefulness, the strategic importance of polytechnic education – as enunciated in the Nigeria’s National Policy on Education – to provide for practical, technical knowledge and skills that are necessary for agricultural, industrial, commercial and economic transformation – cannot be over-emphasized.

    The nation now needs well-orchestrated objectives that will harness its many talented manpower to produce the synergy that will drive it to development that is not made possible under the present arrangement.

    The bitter truth is that inasmuch as we have university graduates who are better than polytechnic graduates, there are also polytechnic graduates who are also far better than the university graduates. So, polytechnic graduates are not mentally inferior in anyway.

    The government should end the ongoing strike by embarking on dialogue with the angry workers. The workers too should be responsive, bearing in mind that all their demands may not be met at a go. This is the right thing to do.

    • Adewale Kupoluyi

    Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta

  • ASUP strike paralyses academic activities in polytechnics

    ASUP strike paralyses academic activities in polytechnics

    The seven-day warning strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), which entered its third day on Wednesday, has continued to paralyse academic activities in the institutions.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that at the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), students at the Ikorodu and Isolo campuses have resorted to roaming.

    Mr Kehinde Olofintuyi, Speaker, LASPOTECH’s Students’ Union Government, told NAN in Ikorodu that although the strike was effective, it was not in their best interest.

    He appealed to the Federal government to look into the demand of the striking lecturers, while another student, Miss Jesica Chimezie, urged the need for the government and ASUP to reach an agreement.

    However, Mr Chibuzor Asomugba, the National President of ASUP, told NAN that the strike would continue until the Federal Government considered their demands.

    “We have not heard anything from the Federal Government; the strike still continues,” he said.

    Mr Dimeji Macaulay, Coordinator of the Education Rights Campaign (ERC) in Niger, has appealed to the federal and state governments to immediately meet all the demands of ASUP.

    Macaulay made the appeal in a statement, a copy of which was made available to NAN in Lagos.

    According to him, the series of strikes rocking the nation’s education sector are signs of “the resistance building up against government’s neglect of public education and its poor education policies’’.

    Macaulay claimed that at the university level, both academic and non-academic staff workers had numerous grievances that could lead to a series of strikes very soon.

    “This is aside brewing anger of mass of students at fee hikes and poor condition of hostels and teaching facilities which unfortunately, cannot find organised expression only because of the lack of a fighting students’ leadership.

    “Following closely on the heels of an ongoing strike action declared by the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP) and ASUP means a total shutdown of all academic and administrative activities in the nation’s Polytechnics and Monotechnics.

    “To avoid a total strike, we call on the federal government to see to the demand of the lecturers,” he said.

  • Poly rector cries out over hoodlums threat

    Poly rector cries out over hoodlums threat

    Barely three days after the massacre of over 26 students from three tertiary institutions in Mubi, Adamawa State, another institution, the Adamawa State Polytechnic, Yola, is said to be under siege by hoodlums.

    This is coming on the heels of disclosure by the Adamawa State Police Command spokesman, DSP Ibrahim Mohhammed that the command has made a number of arrests in connection with last Monday killings.

    He, however, declined to specify the number of people arrested, as according to him, “it would jeopardize their investigations”.

    The police spokeman did, however, say that the police are working on the possibility that the killings could be linked to cult activities amongst the students as the killings took place barely three days after an acrimonious student union government election at the Federal Polytechnic.

    However, speaking on Thursday the Adamawa State Polytechnic Rector, Professor Abdullahi Bobboi, appealed to law enforcement agents to quickly take measures to protect the students of the institution, following the invasion of the school by hoodlums.

    He said that the school came under attack from some hoodlums allegedly led by one ‘Abdul Black’, whom, he said was believed to have gained access in to the polytechnic complex through the Jimeta police barracks.

    Bobboi, said that two students are now currently lying critically ill at the Yola Specialist Hospital, as result of injuries sustained from the attack by the hoodlums.

    He lamented the incessant incursions into the institution by hoodlums, drug peddlers and miscreants, through the breached fence the institution is said to be sharing with the police barrack.

    “We have complained again and again, time without number to the police authorities in Yola, to intervene, as the security breach is now reaching an alarming rate.”