FG Barn polytechnics, others from awarding degrees

THE Federal Government has directed polytechnics, monotechnics and other allied institutions to stop awarding degrees.

The National Board for Technical Education conveyed the government’s decision to heads of the affected institutions in a circular marked TEB/PRO/E/12/Vol.11/132 dated December 1, 2022.

Our correspondent on Tuesday was able to secure a copy of the paper that was signed by the director of the board’s Polytechnic Programmes Department, Ogoh Ngbede.

Ngbede, in the circular, expressed the Federal Ministry of Education’s dismay at the increasing number of tertiary institutions in the country offering programmes for which they were not originally designed.

He however said the government has given the affected institutions four years to graduate the last set of students already admitted for such programmes.

The circular read in part, “Polytechnics and other technical institutions in the country should immediately stop admitting students into degree programmes.

“Similarly, polytechnics and allied institutions awarding Nigerian Certificate in Education should restrict themselves to technical courses.

“However, already admitted undergraduates for these programmes should be allowed to round up the programmes into which they are already admitted.

“Institutions have been given a period of four years (up to 2026) to graduate their last set of students for such programmes.”

The PUNCH reports that the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics has over time called on the government to allow polytechnics to award degrees.

The union’s National President, Anderson Ezeibe, noted that the award of degrees by polytechnics would end the current dichotomy.