Up to 20 polytechnics and colleges of education have been converted to universities primarily by state governors, the Senate and the Federal Government, PUNCH reports.
However, the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics and education reform activists tagged the move as a plan to “bury” the essence of technical education in the country.
Recently, governors and members of the National Assembly came under fire over what was tagged as the unlawful proliferation of universities in the country.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities in a statement warned against the establishment of new universities due to the paucity of funds for the sustainability of the established institutions.
Experts argued that the trend of upgrading polytechnics and colleges of education to universities was becoming worrisome considering the function the two cadres play in producing middle-level manpower.
Polytechnic education provides technical and vocational training, technology transfer and skills development to enhance the socio-economic development of the country, while colleges of education are tasked with producing professionally trained teachers for vocational and technical secondary schools to meet the nation’s requirements for technological take-off as provided in the National Policy on Education.
Recently, the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, announced the upgrade of the state-owned Emmanuel Alayande College of Education to a university of education.
Earlier, the immediate past governor of Osun State, Gboyega Oyetola, announced the conversion of the Osun State College of Education, Ilesha, to the University of Ilesha.
Similarly, the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwoolu, announced the conversion of the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education and the Michael Otedola College of Education to the Lagos State University of Education.
The governor also announced the upgrade of the Lagos State Polytechnic to the Lagos State University of Science and Technology.
In March this year, the Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, received approval from the National Universities Commission to upgrade the state-owned Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, to a university.Related News
The Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, in 2021, announced the conversion of the College of Education, Agbor, to the Delta State University of Education, and the Delta State Polytechnic, Ozoro, to the Delta State University of Science and Technology.
Some of the other affected polytechnics and colleges of education are the Abia State Polytechnic; Abia State College of Education; Abia State College of Health Sciences and Management Studies; Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro; Federal Polytechnic, Ofa; Yaba College of Technology; and the Kaduna State Polytechnic, among others.
Though the Executive Secretary, NUC, Prof Abubakar Rasheed, noted that the reason for the upgrade of the institutions to universities was to increase access to university education for citizens, the National President of ASUP, Dr Anderson Ezeibe, described it as a frivolous upgrade and a “manifestation of lack of consistency in pursuit of vision by proprietors of public polytechnics in the country.”