*Restructuring* *Polytechnic* *Academic* *Staff* *System*
The need to improve the Nigeria's polytechnic academic staff system has been a perpetual national topic of interest.
Proposals such converting polytechnics to university of technology; Abolishing the title of Chief Lecturer and Principal Lecturer and conferment of title of Professor and associate professor to polytechnic Lecturers have been deliberated amongst the nation education stakeholders.Unfortunately, the FG who is the final decision making body is yet to approve/accept any of the proposals.The Nigeria's university education sector seems to be more standard and priority is always given to the university by the government ( both state and FG) over polytechnics.
Polytechnics award ND, HND and PG programmes polytechnic education is one that is expected to be technically oriented while university education is theoretically oriented.Polytechnics graduates are trained to have technical skills for direct application for social and economic benefits.Whereas university graduates are trained to be more of researchers in existing social/
economic challenges.
However, the polytechnics staff especially the academic felt abandoned, sidelined, marginalized by the FG and therefore seeking for avenue to add value to their system.
Many polytechnic Lecturers/Instructors frawned at the FG move to convert polytechnics to universities due to their lack of minimum requirements to be as university Lecturers while others fear demotion.For example in University,HND holders are not considered as academic staff and polytechnic Chief Lecturer is equivalent to Lecturer II in University.
In their efforts to breach the gab between them and university, ASUP proposes to the FG the Introduction of Professorship title to polytechnic according to ASUP this is the practice in most developing countries in the world.But according to FG ASUP tends to deviate from its mandate of being technically oriented system to theoretically oriented one.FG believe that university Lecturers are deep in research than polytechnic Lecturers.A lecturer I in University may have 10 publications in reputable Journals while u will hardly find Lecturer I of Polytechnic with 4 Publications in reputable Journals.This research gab between university Lecturers and polytechnic lecturers made FG offer larger research grant to University compare to polytechnic.To brief our discussion we suggest the following recommendation for the FG to settle this dispute of University/polytechnic disparity:
(1) Professorship title should be introduced in polytechnic academic cadre system.
(2) Polytechnic Lecturers should be allowed to further their education before confirmation.
(3) Minimum requirement to become (Associate professor) in polytechnic should be (7 years as polytechnic lectuer+ PhD + 7 Publications in reputable journals.3 Book of conference proceedings.)
(4) Minimum requirements for senior lecturer in Polytechnic should be (5 years as polytechnic lecturer +MSc degree + 2 conference book of proceedings + 3 publications in reputable Journals + Evidence of technical Report other than Msc research.
(5) Minimum requirements for professor in Polytechnic should be (10years working as a polytechnic lecturer +PhD + 10 Publications in reputable Journal + 4 book of conference proceedings.+ evidence of Sabbatical).
(6) Polytechnics should be allowed to run masters programs for technical courses only
(7) Salary structure of ASUP and ASUU should be thesame.
( Research grant from Tetfund should be equal for both University and polytechnic.
With these suggestions, we believe the polytechnic staff will be motivated to be research oriented.The quality of polytechnic education will increase since the quality of their staff are improved.
Professor John kilechi