Polytechnics Urge President Tinubu to Abolish HND/BSc Dichotomy; Seeks Legislative Backing.

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The Association of Private Polytechnics in Nigeria is calling on President Bola Tinubu to sponsor a bill that would legally abolish the disparity between Higher National Diploma (HND) and Bachelor’s degrees. According to Dr. Benjamin Achiatar, President of the Association, “the lack of a legal framework” is behind the poor implementation of the policy, despite the National Council on Establishment’s decision to remove the dichotomy.

Achiatar emphasized the need for legislative backing, saying, “We urge the 10th National Assembly to either reintroduce the bill or revisit the previous one and present it to President Tinubu for assent.” He recalled that a bill addressing this issue was passed by the 9th Senate but was never signed into law by the former president.

The disparity has led to a decline in applications to polytechnics, with many Nigerian students seeking education in neighbouring countries, contributing to brain drain. Achiatar highlighted the importance of technical education in fast-tracking Nigeria’s industrialization, saying polytechnics and monotechnics focus on both theoretical and practical training.

He urged the government to prioritise technology-driven education, warning that “the economy would suffer if the trend of low enrolment in polytechnics continued.” Achiatar also backed calls for the conversion of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) into a commission, arguing it would empower collaboration with the National Universities Commission (NUC) on accreditation for Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) degrees.

Ultimately, Achiatar reiterated that addressing these challenges is critical for strengthening Nigeria’s technical education sector, urging the government to take swift action to implement necessary reforms.

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