By Sandra Kenneth
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) chapter at the Rivers State College of Health Science and Management Technology has called on the Rivers State Government to urgently reconstitute the institution’s Governing Council, which has been absent for nearly a decade.
The appeal was made by the ASUP Chapter Chairman, Destiny Obinna, during an official facility tour and visit by the State Commissioner for Education to the college campus.
Addressing the visiting delegation, Obinna highlighted that the decade-long absence of a governing board has severely undermined the institution’s administrative stability, accountability, staff welfare, and physical development.
Among key demands presented to the state government, the union boss urged the immediate implementation of consolidated academic allowances and end-of-academic allowances for staff across state-owned polytechnics and colleges of technology. She also made a strong case for the regularisation and full-time employment of long-serving part-time lecturers, many of whom have dedicated over ten years of service to the college without permanent appointments.
Furthermore, Obinna drew attention to the deteriorating state of the campus, calling for swift government intervention to address dilapidated infrastructure and persistent flooding that disrupts academic activities.
To ensure long-term growth, the ASUP Chairman advocated for an amendment to the law establishing the college. She noted that amending the legislation to formally transition the institution into a full-fledged polytechnic would unlock vital funding streams, enabling access to Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) interventions and other federal development grants.
