By Odogwu Emeka Odogwu and Izunna Okafor

The national leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), on Tuesday, accused the federal and state governments of undermining polytechnic education in Nigeria by deliberately designing and implementing bad policies in their institutions.

National President of ASUP, Comrade Anderson Ezeibe, flanked by Federal Polytechnic Oko branch Chairman of ASUP, Comrade Onyebuchi Igbokwe and other national and Oko ASUP branch leaders stated this at a press briefing held at Federal Polytechnic, Oko in Anambra State.

Comrade Ezeibe said that the government establishes polytechnics mainly to satisfy its political desires.

“The Nigerian state has consciously, over the years, decided to abdicate from its responsibilities towards developing skill-based education. And this is contrary to the provisions in the nation’s policy on education adopted since 1977 which recognized the place of technical and vocational education in the development of this nation.

“And as a matter of fact, it is not as if the Nigerian state has decided to do away with this sector. It is not as if the Nigerian state is not seeing the fact that this sector has a very vital role to play to the development of this nation.

“This is because if that is the case, the establishment of new polytechnics and colleges of technology in this nation will not be taking place. Of course, like you know, 36 new federal polytechnics were established in the recent past in addition to the two established about three years ago.

“And different state governments are still establishing new polytechnics. So, what it means is that we are led, as a matter of fact, to believe that by the stands of the government, that these institutions are being established to satisfy political convenience. And this is not good enough” he lamented.

Not just polytechnic, but the entire education system...