The Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Prof. Idris Bugaje, on Tuesday bemoaned what he described as unwarranted discrimination against holders of the Higher National Diploma (HND) in Nigeria.
Bugaje made this known in Abuja during a one-day dialogue on the future of Higher National Diploma in the Nigerian educational landscape.
Bugaje said the dialogue was apt as it would foster an opportunity to address pressing issues that had persisted for decades.
“We all recognise the unique role of the TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) sector in complementing other educational domains and fostering industrialisation and socio-economic progress.
“Despite the pivotal role it plays, the HND qualification, earned after five years of rigorous study and internship, continues to face unwarranted discrimination within the Nigerian public service.
“Even in the face of concerted efforts, including proposed legislation and appeals from students and staff unions, the discrimination against HND holders persists”, he said.
Bugaje said that earlier this year, the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria had highlighted a 22-year-old issue regarding HND Pharmacy Technology, which was effectively resolved by the Minister of State for Education.
Also, the President, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics, Philip Ogunsipe said the discrimination was basically a function of societal acceptance of HND.
Ogunsipe said for the problems to be solved, the discrimination in the bill should be taking care of before being assented into law.
“Once the bill is assented to and the discrimination in the HND programme is resolved and finally passed into law, we will not have any challenge with this age-long problem,” he said.
He also explained that the polytechnics sector must think outside the box and find a way of having programmes exclusively run by polytechnics.
He charged the NBTE to strengthen its supervisory role, noting that infrastructures in some polytechnics were in an awful state and needed urgent attention.
“The process of accreditation of programmes should be more strengthend to provide the necessary and required manpower for the growth and development of this country.
“The NBTE must strengthen its supervisory role to do this,” he added.
In the same vein, the Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu commended NBTE for taking bull by the horns by bringing to national consciousness, the need to embrace the global movement for skills acquisition by HND holders.
Sununu expressed hope that the dialogue would come up with reasons that would not only change the age-long belief in the so-called superiority of other qualifications over HND.
He said it would also show that Nigeria, more than ever before, needed HND holders for national development.
Similarly, the President, Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, Shammah Kpanja said the discrimination is not only on students or academics but affects the sector in its entirety.
Kpanja explained that if the polytechnics must be attractive, the transition of HND to BTech must be welcomed.
He, therefore, said that the Nigerian Polytechnics must offer BTech strictly for HND students while also noting that the certificate must be specialised.
