Uproar as Fashola orders scrapping of LASPOTECH’s satellite campuses

The Lagos State Governor,
Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has ordered the closure of all satellite campuses of the
Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu
across the state.
This, Fashola said, was in consonance
with the directive of the National
Board for Technical Education, the
supervisory agency for all polytechnics
and monotechnics in the country.
Fashola said this during the
inauguration of the first phase of
LASPOTECH College of Technology
Complex on Thursday.
The governor was represented by the
Secretary to the Lagos State
Government, Mrs. Oluranti Adebule at
the occasion.
He added that the decision was also
aimed at enhancing quality and sound
delivery of technical and vocational
education in the state.
But as the announcement was made,
most workers including lecturers of
the polytechnic protested in hushed
tones.
They told our correspondent that the
decision would affect the fortunes of
the institution as a large percentage of
the institution’s internally generated
revenue was derived from the banned
campuses.
“It is going to affect all of us. Some of
us get extra pay for working at the
satellite campuses, the polytechnic get
a large percentage of its IGR from the
programmes while a lot of Nigerians
who love higher education but could
not get it through the conventional
institutions would also be denied of
the opportunity offer by the
campuses,” the anonymous lecturer
said.
He added that what would make it
more difficult for the polytechnic was
that the state government would not
increase allocation to the polytechnic.
The LASPOTECH Rector, Dr.
Abdulazeez Lawal, though expressed
similar view, he added that the
decision would not affect the college
in any negative way.
“It’s a well thought out decision. But
let me say that the policy is not a state
government policy, it is from the
NBTE. What the state government is
doing is just to say, we are for quality
education delivery. We will support it.
It’s going to bring the creativity in us
and we will ensure that our IGR is not
affected negatively as a result of this,”
he said.
When asked whether the state
government would increase funding
to the polytechnic as a result of the
action, Adebule was non-committal.
She just said the state government
had shown enough commitment to
the development of education and it
would not stop its efforts to uplift
education at all levels in the state.
Earlier, Adebule had commended the
governing council of the polytechnic
led by Prof. Simeon Ajose for their
efforts to reposition the institution.
She explained that the first phase of
the complex would serve as lecture
rooms for students and offices for
members of staff.
Punch