The minister of education, Prof Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa’i, has - TopicsExpress

The minister of education, Prof Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa’i, has expressed dismay over the strike action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), saying that it is uncalled for as government has met all that were agreed on in the 2009 agreement signed between the Union and federal government. She, however, expressed the hope that the strike would be call off soon as relevant government bodies have been meeting with the Union. The minister, who stated this during a meeting with the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) in her office, said that ASUP demands for the current strike are outside the agreement. This is even as she said that the issue such as IPPIS, which is government policy, the Ministry has no control over its implementation, neither has it power to constitute Governing Councils for the polytechnics as being demanded. However, she said that government went out of its way to dialogue with the union in order to ensure that academic activities resume in the Polytechnics. Responding to the union’s reaction to JAMB cut-off marks for the Polytechnics, the Minister explained that the 180 for University and 150 for Polytechnics and Colleges of Education, was not to make University superior to either the polytechnics or colleges of education but was as a result of the superior argument that placing uniform cut-off mark has not helped either the Polytechnics or Colleges of Education to get the required number of students. On the need for National Polytechnic Commission, the minister said that had been the initial plan but with government’s intention to rationalise it agencies and parastatals it is no more feasible. However, the Minister assured them that the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) will meet that need. The minister commended the maturity of the executives of NAPS to dialogue rather than going to the street, assuring them of partnership to ensure conducive atmosphere germane for teaching and learning in the Polytechnics.