Rectors and Provosts of polytechnics and other TVET-awarding institutions will today (Tuesday) debate on the proposal to replace the HND programme with Bachelor of Technology.

A letter signed by the Director, Human Resources of the National Board of Technical Education, Lawal Hafiz and addressed to all Rectors and Provosts across Nigeria said the meeting would also avail members the opportunity to also 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 bill is seeking to remove the discrimination of polytechnic graduates from their university counterparts in employment and promotion in the workplace.

The bill also seeks to end the discrimination that stakeholders in the polytechnics have, which for long they sought an end to.

The piece of legislation, sponsored by Senator Ayo Akinyelure, passed the third reading on the floor of the Senate at plenary.

Speaking on the bill, the Chairman of the Joint Committee, Ibrahim Shekarau (APC, Kano Central), said, “The enactment of the bill to abolish and prohibit discrimination between First Degrees and Higher National Diploma for the purpose of employment in Nigeria will no doubt freeholders of HND from stagnation and ensure balanced treatment with their counterparts from other higher tertiary institutions in Nigeria.”

The letter by the NBTE 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 and for Related Matters’ as a panacea to the problem.”