The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has condemned the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) over alleged plan to outsource its quality assurance responsibilities.
The union described the move as an attempt to commercialise the regulation of polytechnics in the country.
In a statement on Saturday in Abuja, ASUP President, Shammah Kpanja, expressed the union’s rejection of the policy, which he said undermined the credibility and integrity of the accreditation process for technical and vocational education institutions.
The policy, which reportedly has the approval of the Minister of Education, seeks to transfer NBTE’s accreditation and quality assurance responsibilities to private vendors.
The NBTE cited inadequate personnel as justification for the move, noting that it currently regulates 789 institutions across the country.