Embargo on employment in polytechnics worrisome, say stakeholders 

Following Federal Government’s embargo on employment, polytechnics in the country are facing dearth of academic staff, which is generating concerns among stakeholders.
   
Already, some officials of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), the supervisory body of polytechnics in Nigeria, who visited some of the institutions for assessment and quality assurance, said most of the schools failed accreditation due to acute shortage of requisite manpower.
   
Besides, a top official of NBTE, who pleaded anonymity, while lamenting the effects of the Federal Government’s embargo on employment, said under the normative instruments of the regulatory body, availability of the right mix of staff is a key requirement.
   
Findings by The Guardian at the board headquarters in Kaduna showed that stakeholders in the sub-sector, including Executive Secretary of NBTE, Prof Idris Bugaje, and Committee of Federal Rectors (COFER) have sent a ‘save-our-soul’ to the Education Minister, Adamu Adamu, and Head of Civil Service of the Federation for intervention.

They expressed concern that most of the institutions are static due to inadequate personnel to teach students.
When contacted, Bugaje confirmed the development, which he said was worrisome as the sector risks losing the gains recorded over the years.
   
Bugaje appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently intervene and categorise polytechnics with health sector, for the purpose of lifting embargo on employment to save it from collapse.