The Council of Heads of Polytechnics and Colleges of Technology in Nigeria (COHEADS) yesterday demanded an end to the prolonged discrimination against graduates of polytechnics in the country, describing it as counter-productive.

This was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of its 127th regular meeting at the Federal Polytechnic Oko, Anambra State.

The principal officers also called on the Federal Government to hasten-up process of review that would end the worrisome discrimination between graduates of polytechnics and universities. They warned that such bias was not healthy for the growth of the country.

The seven-point communiqué, which was signed by the Chairman, Dr. Kabiru Matazu, also urged the Federal Government and the striking lecturers of polytechnics and colleges of education to shift grounds with a view to resolving the prolonged strike.

The communiqué added that the ongoing strike had brought untold hardship to the students, parents and other stakeholders, culminating in series of negative consequences on Technical and Vocational Education (TVE) and the national economy.

COHEADS also tasked the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) on upward review of the existing carrying capacity policy with a view to encompassing the policy of improving access and quality of Technical and Vocational Education Technology in the polytechnics and colleges of technology.

The rectors lauded the Federal Government’s effort on the NEEDs assessment of Nigerian polytechnics but urged the government to expedite action on the report with a view to committing funds for the improvement of the decaying infrastructure in the polytechnic sub-sector.

They also congratulated the newly inaugurated Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Willie Obiano, on his election and swearing-in and commended him for embarking on the special vocational training schemes in the state targeted at empowering the youths with functional skills.

The rectors observed the prevailing skills gap and youth unemployment in the country and called on the Federal Government to implement the National Vocational Qualification Framework (NVQF) which had the potential of addressing the negative phenomena.