The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has threatened to embark on industrial action if the government fails to suspend the new Scheme of Service for Nigeria Polytechnics, which took effect on June 7.
At an emergency congress held in Auchi, Edo State on Friday, the Auchi Polytechnic chapter of ASUP voiced strong opposition to the new scheme.
Bamidele Osamudiamen, Chairman of ASUP Auchi Chapter, told journalists that the union plans to initiate protests on Monday, followed by a strike if their demands are not met.
Osamudiamen described the new scheme as a “dead-end” for the growth and development of polytechnic education. He argued that it would erode recent gains in the sector and further reinforce the HND-BSc dichotomy by promoting discriminatory practices favoring university degree holders over HND holders.
Key concerns raised by ASUP include:
1. Elongation of the lecturer career progression from 7 steps to 9 steps
2. Addition of an extra year for promotion to the final two levels
3. Minimum of 26 years required to progress from base to highest level
4. Deviation from norms in other sub-sectors
Dr. Salisu Umar, Rector of Auchi Polytechnic, supported the lecturers’ protest, stating that the new scheme would “kill polytechnic education in the country.” He highlighted the disparity between university and polytechnic career progression, noting that while it takes a maximum of 18 years for a university lecturer to become a professor, polytechnic lecturers require a minimum of 18 years to reach the position of chief lecturer.
The union calls for immediate suspension of the new Scheme of Service, arguing that it is “faulty and fraught with lots of irregularities.”
