Following agitations for better infrastructure and welfare for members by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), the federal government, yesterday, approval N30billion for polytechnics and colleges of education in Nigeria.
Minister of Education, Mallam Adamau Adamu, said the money was intended to alleviate the challenges faced by polytechnics and colleges of education in the country.
He assured that his ministry would work hard to ensure the release of the money to beneficiary institutions.
The minister, represented by Executive Secretary, National Board of Tertiary Education, Idris Bugaje, made the announcement at a round table organised by ASUP in Abuja with the theme: “Repositioning Nigeria’s polytechnics for national relevance and global competitiveness.”
Said Adamu: “I am glad to report that as part of the realisation of the pivotal role of polytechnics to the advancement of Nigeria, Mr President has approved the sum of N30billion to ameliorate the challenges facing polytechnics and colleges of education in Nigeria. The ministry is working hard to ensure the release of this amount to the respective institutions.”
The minister charged the union to focus more on capacity building, through skill development, than on certification.
ASUP President, Anderson Ezeibe, advised the Federal Government to discontinue the proliferation of polytechnics and focus on the funding and development of existing ones.
He said polytechnics were fast becoming like constituency projects, established to satisfy political convenience, than for educational development and growth of the nation.