FG Sets 5% Limit On Temporary Appointments For Senior Lecturers & Professors

The Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Education has set a limit on temporary appointments in Federal Government-owned universities, polytechnics and colleges of education to academics in professorial and senior lecturer cadre.

Our correspondent also learnt that employments in federal institutions would now be based on specific needs of the institutions and the budget made by institutions for the year involved.

This was revealed in a letter written by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Didi Watson-Jack, to the National Universities Commission, National Board for Technical Education and National Commission for Colleges of Education.

The issue of employment for the replacement of retired and dead academics and non-academic staff members of federal tertiary institutions have been a matter of debate following what stakeholders have described as challenges posed by the IPPIS system.

For instance, the Academic Staff Union of Universities has decried the failure of institutions to replace retired staff members.

In 2023, ASUU chapters across various states bemoaned vacancies that were yet to be filled.

ASUU at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, said about 100 lecturers had left the university, while the union at the Federal University, Gusau, Zamfara, disclosed that the institution was in need of about 1,000 lecturers to fill the vacancies created by those who had left.

The union at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State said over 350 academic vacancies were available at the institution, while 27 lecturers had left two faculties at the University of Lagos, as 100 workers at the University of Uyo travelled out of the country.

Watson-Jack’s letter dated March 24, 2024 which was sighted by our correspondent in Abuja, indicated that institutions were now guided by the following employment requirements, “Governing Councils and Management to assume full responsibility for policy direction and statutory duties of the institution which include recruitment, promotion, disengagement and discipline of staff.

“The Governing Councils shall ensure full compliance with the laws and conditions of service of the institutions and other applicable laws and circulars for effective and efficient governance;

“No tertiary institution shall employ any category of staff not provided for in its budget for the particular year;

“All employment must be based on needs of the institution and to be properly advertised, candidates interviewed and the best employed;

“All newly established tertiary institutions must secure approval for their staffing requirements from their respective regulatory body and the Ministry of Education;

“Any temporary recruitment shall be restricted to only Senior Lecturers and Professorial Cadre and should not account for more than 5% in any given year and such appointment shall not last more than one year;

“Councils and administrators to avoid discriminate and disproportionate employment of staff and shall adhere to NUC’s recommendation of academic to 1:5 of non-academics staff ratio.”