THE POLYTECHNIC AND UNIVERSITY DISPARITY SAGA

Edwin Eriye

Education is the foundation of every nation; no aspect or level of it ought to be neglected so as to engender all round national development. A polytechnic in Nigeria today offers about 70% of technological programmes which are veritable tools for nation-building and development. On the contrary, polytechnic graduates over the years have suffered serious neglect by the federal government and the labour market.

Polytechnic graduates cannot proceed directly on a master’s degree programme whether of distinction grade or not; he or she has to be subjected to a minimum of another one year of postgraduate diploma course before proceeding directly to master’s degree as against the university B.sc / B.Eng holder proceeding directly to master’s degree programme.

Employers believe polytechnic education is not for those who are intelligent enough to do academic work.

Polytechnic students are also made to serve or work under university graduates as head of department or units as the case may be. Also, in the civil service, while the university graduate is employed as an administrator, the polytechnic graduate is employed as a Higher Executive Officer.

Government attitude towards polytechnic education is discriminatory in favour of university education. This is evident in the kind of pronounced infrastructural development work you see in the universities compared with the polytechnics.

One may be right to see the ill-treatment given to polytechnic graduates by the government, employers of labour and general public as gradually ushering them into extinction, and this has to be prevented immediately, because if they go into extinction, it means that the country will be set back technologically in a manner that all the perceived merits in the arguments and in the eyes of those who see the disparity as wholesome and appropriate will not be justifiable.
Urgent pragmatic steps need to taken to correct the disparity; individual abilities should be emphasized i.e. what the individual can do rather than names of certificates/academic institutions. Polytechnics should be adequately funded for practical teaching, learning, research and development, infrastructures.

The ill-treatment should be immediately stopped, because a dispirited person(s) cannot be adequately focused to give his/her best particularly knowing that he/she is not appreciated by his/her immediate society and this will only continue to negatively impact on our dear nation. It is not a taboo for polytechnics and university graduate to be evenly respected.