The Kaduna Polytechnic Alumni Association has lamented the lack of uniformity in the conditions of service for polytechnic staff across the country.
It also faulted the funding gap which it said had greatly affected Nigerian polytechnics. It said from 1960 to 2023, the average allocation made to education was a meagre 5.94% which is far short of the UNESCO recommendation of 15-20% of the annual budget or 4-6% of the Gross Domestic Product.
Delivering his welcome address at the Annual General Meeting of the association, the president of the association, Hon. Abbas Anas Adamu, said; “Even for this year, 2024, the allocation for education is 7.9% of the total federal budget, which is about N2.18 trillion. Nigeria’s adherence to the UNESCO benchmark is lower than many less endowed African countries like Ghana, South Africa, Senegal, Kenya, and Morocco.”
He expressed sadness that at the tertiary level, Nigerian polytechnics had received less of the little funds allocated to education. “For instance, in 2024, each university is to receive a total of N1,906,944,930.00, colleges of education to receive N1,398,426,282.00, each and polytechnics only N1,165,355,235.00 each. This greatly affects the state of infrastructure for learning and welfare of students and staff in polytechnics.
“The issue of the lack of uniformity in the conditions of service for polytechnic staff across the nation is troubling. This disparity not only affects staff morale but undermines the ability to attract and retain the best teachers and administrators,” he said.
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