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Polytechnic workers under SSANIP reject the NBTE service scheme, citing discrimination against non-teaching staff
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Union warns the scheme will block career progression to CONTEDISS Level 15 for qualified non-academic workers
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SSANIP passes vote of no confidence in NBTE, petitions Education Minister Moruf Alausa
The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP) has rejected a revised scheme of service proposed by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) for federal and state polytechnics, warning that it would hinder career growth for non-teaching staff.
The union said its position was presented during a stakeholders’ meeting held in Abuja, where the NBTE discussed the reviewed framework with education sector leaders.
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In a statement issued on Thursday, January 22, 2026, SSANIP National President, Philip Ogunsipe, said the association submitted a minority report to the Minister of Education, Dr Moruf Alausa, outlining its objections to the proposed scheme.
SSANIP said the revised service framework introduces an unequal structure between teaching and non-teaching staff from the point of entry, a development it warned could deepen workplace divisions across polytechnics.
The union further stated that the scheme would restrict career progression by preventing non-teaching officers with first degrees from attaining the Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Salary Structure (CONTEDISS) Level 15, which it said is equivalent to Grade Level 17 in the public service.
READ ALSO: NUC Warns NBTE Against Top-up Degree Program For Polytechnic Graduates
Ogunsipe said documentary evidence from the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission and the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation confirming the existence of CONTEDISS Level 15 was ignored during the meeting.
The association also criticised a reported comment by the Chairman of the Committee of Heads of Polytechnics and Colleges of Technology of Nigeria, who allegedly said that rectors and non-teaching staff should not retire on the same grade level.
SSANIP described the comment as discriminatory and inconsistent with public service rules, insisting that retirement benefits should be determined by approved structures rather than institutional preferences.
The union said its submission of a minority report amounted to a vote of no confidence in the NBTE, accusing the agency of bias and disregard for existing public service regulations.
SSANIP urged the Minister of Education to objectively review the issues raised to ensure fairness, industrial harmony, and compliance with established service standards.
The union also rejected a decision taken at the meeting to remove the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation from the preparation and approval of schemes of service, describing the move as counterproductive.
SSANIP said it would not support any process that excludes the nation’s top civil service authority from decisions affecting polytechnic workers.