The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has called on the federal government to convert polytechnics in the country to degree-awarding institutions in order to create greater access for Nigerian youth in obtaining degree certificates.
National president of ASUP, Mr Anderson Ezeibe, made the call on Tuesday during the union’s 79th Zonal Executive Council (ZEC) meeting of Zone B, held at the Federal Polytechnic Idah, Kogi state to update members of the union in respect of engagement between the union and the government.
According to him, the agitation to convert polytechnics’ degree-awarding institutions if actualised would go a long way in putting a stop to the issue of HND/Degree dichotomy, noting that the effort woukd also create more access to tertiary education for Nigerian youth who are very eager to obtain degree certificates.
“Currently the Nigerian universities cannot offer admission to most applicants because of the large number of candidates, compared to the number of universities in the country but if polytechnics are allowed to award degrees, some of the people who are willing to obtain degrees can go to polytechnic and that will mean that government has created greater access to such people.
“It will also stop this migration of lecturers from polytechnic to university system and if you look at the trend in the western world where education emanated from, a lot of polytechnics award degrees,” he said.
