The Association of Private Polytechnics in Nigeria has urged President Bola Tinubu to sponsor a bill eliminating the disparity between Higher National Diploma (HND) and bachelor’s degrees.
Benjamin Achiatar, the association’s president, made the appeal during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.
The long-standing divide often leads to preferential treatment for university graduates in government jobs. While the National Council on Establishment officially removed the distinction, Achiatar noted that weak enforcement persists due to a lack of legal backing.
“The bill was passed by the 9th Senate but was never signed into law. A fresh bill needs to be introduced or the previous one revisited by the 10th National Assembly and sent to President Tinubu for approval,” he stated.
Achiatar highlighted a decline in polytechnic applications, citing Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) records. He stressed the importance of technical education in driving industrialisation, noting that polytechnics offer a balance of theoretical and practical training.
He called on the government to prioritise technical education, warning that dwindling interest in the field could harm Nigeria’s economic growth.
The association also supports converting the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) into a commission, arguing that this would enable it to work with the National Universities Commission (NUC) to accredit polytechnics for B.Tech (Hons) degrees, making technical education more attractive to students.
Credit: NAN (Text Excluding Headline)
