BREAKING: FG FINALLY SCRAPS HND, MERGES POLYS TO UNIVERSITIES

ADAMU ADAMU

BREAKING NEWS: FG Merges Polytechnics With Universities, Scraps HNDs Degrees. 

Following a comprehensive review and reform of the nation’s tertiary education system, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the scrapping the award of the Higher National Diploma (HND) by the nation's polytechnics.

Henceforth, the award of the HND will be limited to only the students currently admitted for the programme...........

BREAKING NEWS: FG Merges Polytechnics With Universities, Scraps HNDs Degrees. 

Following a comprehensive review and reform of the nation’s tertiary education system, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the scrapping the award of the Higher National Diploma (HND) by the nation's polytechnics.

Henceforth, the award of the HND will be limited to only the students currently admitted for the programmes while all the programmes which are not technology-based but provides about 70% of the total programmes, will be scrapped.

Going by the new rule, 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.

With this new development, 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.

Accordingly, two of the most prominent Polytechnics in Nigeria; Yaba College of Technology and Kaduna Polytechnic, will henceforth be known as City University of Technology, Yaba and City University of Technology, Kaduna. This is expected to kick-start the new government policy and, to give legal teeth to these approvals, the FEC approved the submission of two Executive bills to the National Assembly for enactment into law.

With education being on the concurrent list on the Federal government’s expenditure list, the states that may wish to consolidate their tertiary institutions have been given, by this new directive and based on the clearance by the National Assembly, do so.

Expatiating further, states that do not wish to follow the federal government in this drive will have for example, have their programmes regulated by the relevant agencies of the Federal Ministry of Education. 

SEE ALSO: FG SACKS HEADS OF EDUCATION PARASTATALS

 

The Honourable Minister of Education explained that the first bill will concretize the setting up of the two city universities while the second will approve the preparation and consolidation of all federal polytechnics and colleges of education as campuses of proximate universities.

Mallam Adamu stated that the preparation and submission of the two bills to the National Assembly will be the responsibility of the Justice Ministry.

Tasked on matters concerning the reform measures, the Minister told journalists after the weekly meeting of the council that under the reform measures, the ministry would, however, continue to license private polytechnics and colleges of education for the award of qualification at ND and National Certificate in Education (NCE) levels. "There will be no more award of HND", he said

After we have exhausted the current students under the programme, there will be no more award of HND. This means that there will be no fresh admission for HND programmes. And in addition, any programme that is not technical will be out of the polytechnics. About 70 percent of polytechnic graduates are in the non-technical courses. It is going to be a rigorous implementation programme."

A ministerial committee to ensure the smooth implementation of all that is required for the take-off of the reform initiatives is to begin work immediately.

Mall. Adamu said: "The HND certificate will remain a legal tender in Nigeria and holders of such certificate will continue to be recognised as the equivalent of first degree holders without discriminatory remunerations and limit to progression in the work place.

The NCE certificate will be retained as the minimum teaching qualification at the basic level of education. Any higher qualifications by these private or state-owned polytechnics will be only affiliation with a university. So, HND is no longer in existence, but existing HND will be respected and considered legal tender".

The council also approved the Federal Government's formal take-over of the Waziri Umaru Polytechnic, Birnin Kebbi, which will be the College of Technology campus of the Othman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto, as well as the Hussein Adamu Polytechnic, Kazaure, Bauchi, which will be a College of Technology of the proximate university in the state.

Also, the Alvan Ikoku College of Education, Owerri, Imo State, has been taken over as a campus of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri.

A state that had never had any federal institution, like Bayelsa, is to have a College of Technology as a campus of the College of Technology of the University of Port-Harcourt.