The worst certificate any graduate could hold in Nigeria is HND. It is an extremely confusing document in any way you look at it. It brings pains and agonies to most of the holders as soon as they graduate from our polytechnics. Across industrial sectors and civil service units, the holders are completely discriminated against, putting them below their bachelor’s degree counterparts. For years, government has worked on reforms, pushing companies to recognize HND on parity with bachelor’s degree. But that has not happened, and it would never happen in Nigeria. So, it was good news that the federal government has decided to kill HND in Nigeria. That is certainly a good thing. Without an option of HND, our young people would be saved the HND troubles in workplaces.
Nigerian Government has scrapped Award of HND Certificates by Polytechnics.
The decision was reached at the Federal Executive Council, FEC, on Wednesday where the approval of a comprehensive reform of Nigeria’s tertiary education system was made.
In effect, the award of HND will be limited to only the students currently admitted for the programmes.
Also, all the programmes currently being run by polytechnics, which are not technology-based, and which are about 70 per cent, will be scrapped.
Under the new rule, the polytechnics will now become campuses of the proximate universities with the Vice Chancellors of those universities appointing provosts for the polytechnics, subject to the ratification of the Universities Councils.
The polytechnics will now be limited to award of the National Diploma (ND) while those desirous of further education will be awarded the Bachelor of Technology (B. Tech) by the proximate university.
All state polytechnics should collapse into state universities with non-technical programs in state polytechnics scrapped for HND. There is no need of having this institution of discrimination. Our young people deserve better. I commend the Honourable Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, for his vision on this unlike the one they suggested before.
He has put forward a solid roadmap by scraping HND certificates even when keeping OND certificates. Also, refocusing polytechnics to focus on technical areas is a welcome development. Possibly, with more funding and planning, our polytechnics would become vehicles to deepen our technical (vocational) capabilities which would be critical for building our industries.
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What’s the way forward for students especially those on IT?
It depends on your field. If technical, it is possible you would go for BTech.
My course has been scrapped, no hope
what happens to those people who already have HND certificate?
No impact – this was not designed for that situation.
According to the report you’re on a safer side as your certificate will be regarded as a legal tender
My opinion.
I really don’t know whether one should see this as a welcome development or a disaster.
One of the good sides; it gives students chances to go for Direct Entry (DE) and get the much preferred B Sc Certificate.
It will also give polytechnic its real name (i.e what it originally stands for)
The other is……someone should just help me because I can’t get any other benefits.
Now to the other side;
Firstly, I thought what should have been done by the Minister of Education (Mr Adamu Adamu) was to equate the Polytechnic certificate with that of the University, thus Bachelor of Science (B Sc) and Bachelor of Technology (B Tech). Instead, he scrapped the issuing of HND certificate totally.
Seeing that Polytechnics are only restricted to issuing of ND, students will no longer be interested in going to poly, not even those who had interest for it before. Even most parents will not want their children to apply for it.
What about those already enrolling on their IT program? What’s their fate?
Guess it’s just to go for Direct Entry (DE) for any University of their choice. Oops! I just remembered that “Under the new rule, the polytechnics will now become campuses of the proximate universities with the Vice Chancellors of those universities appointing provosts for the polytechnics, subject to the ratification of the Universities Councils”. In other words, the students probably have no choice than to subscribe for the proximate universities whether they like it or not (I stand to be corrected).
Due to these points, it will increase the number of people applying for Universities seeing that only they can issue credible and acceptable certificates. And for the fact that every school has limited number of candidates being admitted in every academic session, which will lead to high number of candidates not granted admission. What about those who are not very financially buoyant for the University fees? How are they going to cope seeing that polytechnic is cheaper than university?
That reminds me, what about the lecturers of those “so called non-technical courses”? what’s their fate? Would they be rendered jobless or they will all be given a spot at the proximate universities?
Good balance and analysis here Okoli. You raised many points. Hope govt looks as it implements
I pray so
Exactly my fear, what’s the fate of the students on IT?
It has been scrapped but what happens next
Government will surely allow all admitted students to finish. They cannot scrap in the middle
That’s the problem, am on IT. I can’t buy HND form again
I am on IT as well @ Perpetual and co. I just wonder if the Ministry actually saw/thought things through before coming to a conclusion. Because, from my knowledge, I believe before any law is being passed, it has to be thought through, examined both the good and bad side. And if the bad side exceeds the good side, you do away with it.
I wonder what they saw about this decision that I’m not seeing or what I am seeing that they didn’t see. #who knows?
I pray it works out in our own favor
“To kick-start the new policy, the nation’s two most prominent polytechnics – Yaba College of Technology and Kaduna Polytechnic – will henceforth be known as City University of Technology, Yaba and City University of Technology, Kaduna.
I’m not trying to be sentimental here, but why did they select just Yabatech (West) and Kaduna Poly (North) without any from the East. I smell politics playing part here.
I just checked the current rating now, kaduna is not even on the top five ranks. It goes thus;
1. Yabatech
2. Auchi poly
3. Fed poly Ilaro
4. fed poly Nekede
5. Fed poly Ibadan
6. Lagos state poly
7. Osun state poly
8. Fed poly Oko (Which I attend but on IT)
9. Imo state poly
10. Kaduna Poly.
See where kaduna dey, na im sumbdy dey call Kaduna poly prominent ahead of the other highly rated polies because he’s from the North?
Something is actually wrong somewhere
My Opinion…That’s all
“To kick-start the new policy, the nation’s two most prominent polytechnics – Yaba College of Technology and Kaduna Polytechnic – will henceforth be known as City University of Technology, Yaba and City University of Technology, Kaduna.
I’m not trying to be sentimental here, but why did they select just Yabatech (West) and Kaduna Poly (North) without any from the East. I smell politics playing part here.
I just checked the current rating now, kaduna is not even on the top five ranks. It goes thus;
1. Yabatech
2. Auchi poly
3. Fed poly Ilaro
4. fed poly Nekede
5. Fed poly Ibadan
6. Lagos state poly
7. Osun state poly
8. Fed poly Oko (Which I attend but on IT)
9. Imo state poly
10. Kaduna Poly.
See where kaduna dey, na im sumbdy dey call Kaduna poly prominent ahead of the other highly rated polies because he’s from the North?
Something is actually wrong somewhere
That’s the problem, what happens to other polytechnics. You can’t just start with two
The exec has gotten it wrong. I hope the legislature will play strong oversight role here. In the U.S, Britain, Canada and other countries we copy from, polytechnics subsist. The countries, at some point, faced the same problems nig is encountering now. Their polytechnics were renamed and refashioned in curriculum and staffing to make them degree awarding institutions. Two, we hv other programs in these schs outside the core technical courses. Example is Massachusetts institute of technology in the U.S, which has public administration dept among others. The same is seen in Canada etc. Three, nig is currently having problems over admissions even with the polytechnics in existence. Wat will happen wen there are no supporting polytechnics? Four, wat will happen to the teeming lecturers in the polytechnics? The labour market is already overflowing. Public policy making requires thorough analysis b/4 policies are churned out. The exec arm should go back to d drawing board. The policy is ill-conceived.
HOW CAN I APPLY FOR B.TECH WITH ND IN MECHANICAL SINCE HND NO MORE EXIST?
Read very carefully and understand the message thy are conveying. No lecturer losses job, and NO student will loose hope. IT’S OBVIOUSLY A WELCOME DEVELOPMENT.
How about those poly that are still selling hnd form till date???/
What we need to think about is how will the mode of admission look like in this polytechnics?
Because I asked one of my lecturer from where I finished my National Diploma, he told me the admission process will still be the same, they’ll only be operating under the name of an affiliated University.
Maybe you should talk to one of your Lecturer or any academic staff in your school. My suggestion though.
Stay bless.
I have ND in animal health and productio
Please i’m still comfused that the I T students presently how will they do to be in the system of the B’TECH