Victoria Mgbanwa
Prior to the bill submitted for the removal of discrimination between polytechnic graduates from their university counterparts in employment and promotion in the workplace, the Rectors and Provosts of polytechnics and other TVET-awarding institutions have scheduled to meet to debate on replacing the HND programme with Bachelor of Technology.
In a letter addressed to all Rectors and Provosts in Nigeria signed by the Director, Human Resources of the National Board of Technical Education, Lawal Hafiz , he explained that the meeting is scheduled for today (Tuesday).
According to him, this will give members the opportunity to renew the call on the Federal Government to assent the bill which seeks to remove the dichotomy between Bachelors degree and Higher National Diploma.
The letter partly reads, “I write to invite you to a one-day national dialogue on the future of Higher National Diploma programme in the Nigerian Educational Landscape. The objective of the dialogue is to look at issues surrounding the continued discrimination of the holders of the Higher National Diploma certificates and fashion out ways of addressing the age-long problem.”
“It is hoped that the national dialogue would look at the proposal to replace the HND programme with Bachelors of Technology (B.Tech); and or to renew the call on Mr President to assent to the bill passed by the National Assembly for an ‘Act to Abolish and Prohibit Dichotomy and Discrimination between First degree and Higher National Diploma in the same Profession/Field for the Purpose of Employment “, he said.
