The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has responded to the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) over its criticism of the Board’s decision to outsource the physical accreditation of institutions under its supervision.
Acknowledging ASUP’s concerns about maintaining educational standards, the NBTE explained that it is currently overwhelmed by the sheer number of institutions it oversees—over 800—while having fewer than 100 Programme Officers to conduct accreditation.
In a statement on Sunday, the NBTE, led by Professor Idris Bugaje, and signed by its Head of Media Unit, Fatima Abubakar, clarified that the outsourcing initiative only applies to physical accreditation exercises and is a temporary measure.
The goal, according to the Board, is to help institutions with poor ICT infrastructure upgrade so they can transition to the digital accreditation platform in the future.
According to the statement, “The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) acknowledges the concerns raised by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) regarding the proposed outsourcing of quality assurance activities.