The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has thrown its weight behind a bill before the National Assembly aimed at creating a National Polytechnics Commission.
Shammah Kpanja, the union’s president, confirmed this in a statement issued Sunday in Abuja. The bill, sponsored by Idu Igariwey, is nearing its final reading in the House of Representatives after receiving broad backing during a public hearing in August 2024.
Kpanja highlighted that this bill had garnered the support of various stakeholders, including the federal Ministry of Education, and is in line with the 2024-2027 Road Map for Nigeria’s education sector. He also pointed out that this initiative comes after numerous failed attempts to legislate on the same issue in the past.
However, Kpanja expressed reservations about the proposal to create a commission for technical education, calling it a superficial change that lacks substantial impact on polytechnic regulation in the country. He described the proposal as self-serving and potentially counterproductive to the ongoing efforts in the House of Representatives.
According to Kpanja, polytechnics and monotechnics in Nigeria currently fall under the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), and ASUP has long advocated for a separate commission to oversee these institutions. The union believes that such a move would improve regulatory oversight and bring Nigeria’s system in line with practices in other sectors of higher education.
