Poly Students To Undergo Mandatory Skills Qualification — NBTE

The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has made it obligatory henceforth for students of polytechnic to undergo Mandatory Skills Qualifications (MSQ) before graduation.

NBTE’s Executive Secretary, Professor Idris Bugaje made the disclosure while clarifying the draft of the 2024 Scheme of Service at a press conference.

“Every Polytechnic student from this year has to do a Mandatory Skills Qualification (MSQ), before graduation. This is a major paradigm shift in polytechnic education in Nigeria, so that we produce diploma holders with skills.

“You cannot give what you don’t have and that’s why the National Skills Qualifications (NSQ) was introduced for the promotion of lecturers who should drive the MSQ. This requirement will additionally make Polytechnic lecturers unique, having both academics and hands-on skills,” he stressed.

Prof Bugaje informed that the recently approved Schemes of Service for the Polytechnic sector has been circulated and proposals for amending its grey areas passed to the Head of Service of the Federation, Dr. (Mrs.) Folasade Yemi-Esan.

The ES further described the 2024 schemes as a revolutionary document with its recognition of holders of Higher National Diploma (HND) for the first time, as Graduate Assistants in polytechnics, just like their University counterparts.

“It also requires Principal/Chief Lecturers to have Doctorate degrees. This requirement cannot be negotiated. This is because while we ask for parity between Universities and Polytechnics, we can’t allow the highest academics in Polytechnics to have a master’s degree only.

“The indolent academics who, in the past, run and hid in polytechnics to avoid doctorate degrees, shall henceforth have no hiding place anymore,” Bugaje added.

The NBTE boss however emphasised that there are many areas requiring amendment, including dichotomy against HND holders in other cadres, omission of some cadres, allowing at least one skipping for all cadres like it is in other tertiary institutions in Nigeria, and not elongating the waiting period for all promotions beyond three (3) years.

“These observations from the Committee of Rectors of Federal Polytechnics, Polytechnic staff unions, and the National Association of Polytechnic students have been forwarded to the Head of Service,” he assured.

He also clarified a clause raised by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), a union he noted to be dominated by staff in states polytechnics, on the introduction of the Nigerian Skills Qualification (NSQ) certificate for the promotion of lecturers.

He said “NSQ is not an informal qualification as misjudged by ASUP. It is already approved and recognised in the National Schemes of Service”.

The NBTE boss also disclosed that the board has noted the appeal made by the Federal Polytechnics Academic Staff Union (FEPASU), saying that the Schemes of Service is strictly for the Federal Polytechnics that they represent.

He added that Federal Polytechnics have ownership and governance peculiarities which make them different from the State Polytechnics, and that as education is on the concurrent list in the Constitution, NBTE cannot therefore impose the new Scheme of Service (after its final validation), on any state polytechnic.

“As such, ASUP should be reduced to where they belong, the state polytechnics, and the new Scheme is not for them. All our accreditations in state polytechnics shall henceforth be strictly on academic programmes only to ensure standards are maintained,” Bugaje said.

He commended NAPS, SSANIP, NASU and FEPASU for handling the matter maturely and for sending constructive criticisms which he pledged shall be looked into and resolved before the new Schemes become fully operational.

The NBTE Executive Secretary appealed to President Bola Tinubu to extend the tenure of Dr Yemi-Esan as the Head of Service to enable her complete the good work she had started and “provide us with a final progressive Schemes of Service for the Polytechnic sector before she retires.

“We never had a Head of Service who understands and values skills like the current one,” Prof Bugaje stressed.