This will be a great news to all students of polytechnics whose institution is still participating in the strike, which was embarked upon by the union still October 2013.
According to latest information reaching our news desk today, the Presidential Committee on NEEDS assessment of Nigerian Public Polytechnics and Colleges of Education, has once again, recommended the removal of dichotomy between Higher National Diploma, HND, and the university first degrees.
Update about ASUP/COEASU meeting with Federal government
The committee, which had in its report submitted to the Federal Government in Abuja, yesterday been the 1st of July 2014, also advised that the curriculum of polytechnics should be regularly reviewed to address changes in industry and the demand in society.
While speaking on this issue, th Director, Tertiary Education, Federal Ministry of Education, and Chairperson of the committee, Mrs. Hindatu Abdullahi, said part of the recommendations was that the National Board for Technical Education, NBTE and National Universities Commission, NUC, should develop standards for the award of Bachelor of Technology, B.Tech, by the nation’s polytechnics.
Mrs Hindatu Abdullahi went on to add that the panel/committee also recommended autonomy for deserving colleges of education to degree-awarding status, as well as increase enrollment of students into their programmes, which will also be good news to all admission seeking students, starting from this year.
Here’s a quote from Mrs Hindatu Abdullahi which we decided to quote below.
“The National Commission for Colleges of Education, NCCE, should ensure that all colleges of education running degree programmes should have not less than 60 per cent Ph.D holders of the total academic staff strength for each of the degree courses; and provision of Centres for Educational Technology, CET, with all the requisite facilities”.
The report which was submitted to federal government from the committee also revealed that in the schools visited by the committee members, “all categories of physical facilities are grossly inadequate, while available ones are utiliaed beyond installed capacity.
“Some vital learning resources are completely unavailable; which included the enrollment policy of 60:40 ratio for Science and Arts-based courses in Colleges of Education and 70:30 in favor of Science/Technology and Arts/Social Sciences in polytechnics are not implemented.
“In some institutions, the teacher-student ratio is low; most of the academic institutions do not have on-campus hostels, while the available ones are overcrowded, poorly lit and not adequately ventilated, and in a state of disrepair; municipal facilities are inadequate and in poor condition.
“Based on these findings, the following recommendations cut across the polytechnics and colleges of education:
Completion of abandoned and on-going projects;
Rehabilitation and upgrading of facilities, buildings, hostels, class of study, infrastructures that are in the state of disrepair; provision and rehabilitation of students through public-private partnership.
“Recruitment of qualified teachers and training/re-training of personnel;
Provision and upgrading of internet connectivity,
Tele-communication and information services;
Provision of essential learning resources/materials;
All polytechnics and colleges should be linked to the National Power Grid and provide alternative/support of power in libraries, laboratories, workshops and studios; review of the laws establishing these institutions; the following recommendations are specific to polytechnics,” the report stressed.
Mrs Hindatu Abdullahi also went on to inform that the report would assist the federal government in repositioning the academic institutions for effective and efficient teaching, learning research and community services, in line the federal government’s transformation agenda and global best practices for 2020.
More details about the 1st of July meeting coming soon. Please endeavor to share this article with your friends on facebook, twitter and google+, using the share buttons below.
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