The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has strongly condemned the National Board for Technical Education’s (NBTE) plan to outsource its accreditation and quality assurance responsibilities, calling it an attempt to commercialize the regulation of polytechnics in Nigeria.
In a statement released on Saturday, ASUP President, Shammah Kpanja, firmly rejected the policy, arguing that it undermines the integrity and credibility of the accreditation process for technical and vocational education institutions.
The controversial policy, which has reportedly been approved by the Minister of Education, seeks to delegate NBTE’s accreditation functions to private vendors. While the NBTE cited a shortage of personnel as justification—given its oversight of 789 institutions across the country—ASUP believes that outsourcing such a vital function could compromise standards, create conflicts of interest, and put sensitive institutional data at risk.
Kpanja stressed that the core mission of the NBTE is to provide quality assurance, particularly through the accreditation and reaccreditation of technical and vocational education programs. He warned that the outsourcing policy questions the very relevance of the NBTE as a public institution, adding, “This strange policy brings to question the continued relevance of the NBTE as a public institution.”
The union emphasized that allowing private, profit-driven consultants to handle accreditation would undermine regulatory oversight, increase financial burdens on institutions already struggling with inadequate funding, and further erode the quality of Nigeria’s polytechnic system.
Kpanja also pointed out that the NBTE’s justification—that it is overwhelmed by the sheer number of institutions it regulates—has been a longstanding issue. He cited ASUP’s past calls for the unbundling of the NBTE and the establishment of a dedicated National Commission for Polytechnics to mirror the regulatory bodies overseeing universities and colleges of education.
At a recent stakeholders’ meeting on March 4, 2025, participants rejected the outsourcing proposal, advocating instead for the digitization of quality assurance processes. ASUP has called for a reversal of the outsourcing policy, urging the government to expedite the digital transformation of quality assurance activities and provide the necessary funding and support to drive this change.
ASUP has made it clear that it will continue to work with key stakeholders to resist the move, ensuring that polytechnic accreditation remains in the hands of a credible, accountable public body.
