03/08/2016
Adamu confirms abolition of BSc/HND dichotomy
Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu
yesterday confirmed the abolition of the
dichotomy that hitherto existed between the
Higher National Diploma (HND) and University
degree otherwise known as B.Sc.
The Minister who announced the official position
of the government in Abuja yesterday said the
stories that has been on social media has element
of mischief.
“The dichotomy between Bsc and HND has been
eliminated,” he said.
Daily Sun gathered that the National Council on
Establishments (NCE) has also given approval for
the abolition of the dichotomy.
The Minister, last month announced that the
government had concluded plans to abolish the
dichotomy that hitherto existed between these
two educational qualifications, but a reliable
source in the Ministry said the policy
announcement was put on hold pending the
decision of the National Council on
Establishments and the Federal Executive Council
(FEC).
“This is serious education policy that has effect
on millions of Nigerian students. So, the Minister
is very careful not to make mistake that would
further compound the issue. To this end, he (the
Minister) decided to wait for the input of all
stakeholders,” the source said.
However, some scholars have expressed mixed
reaction to the plan of the government to abolish
the dichotomy.
A lecturer from the University of Abuja who
pleaded said instead of abolition, a short post-
graduate program should be developed for
polytechnic graduates to brush them up and bring
them up to the level of the University graduates.
“Why would you want to abolish the dichotomy
and put both qualifications side by side when the
entry requirements for university is higher than
that of polytechnics. For instance, there are
specific number of Professors and P.hD holders
required in a particular faculty in a university,
unlike in the polytechnics, where, in some cases,
you discover that it is university graduates that
are teaching the students,” he said.
The president of the Academic Staff of Nigerian
Universities (ASUU), Professor Biodun Ogunyemi
also opposed the abolish the dichotomy.
“The tenacity of these two qualifications is tested
at the work place. People have been saying that
there is no disparity between HND and Degree
certificate but I don’t see how both graduates can
match each other especially at the level of work
place.
Dr. Femi Olufumilade, Head of Political Science
Department, Igbinedion University, Okada said the
decision ought to have taken place long ago.
“Nevertheless, it is a good development in our
education system because the disparity has
created a huge psychological gap between the
graduates of Polythecnics and University,” he
said.
Prof. Ifeoma Nwoye of the Ibrahim Badamosi
Babangida (IBB) University, Lapai, Niger State
also endorsed government. She argued that
polythecnic education system failed woefully in
achieving its objective of raising skilled technical
manpower.
“Even the Britain where we copied the polythecnic
education system from has abolished and now
run a single university system. So, there is
nothing bad about the decision,” she said.
She, however, called for a total overhaul of the
tertiary education curriculum.
A lecturer in the Department of Sociology, Dr.
Peter Ogah said , “ It has little or no negative
implication. We welcome it even though I
graduated from University. Let us support it” he
said.
She accused the of double standard for giving due
recognition to HND holders, saying that the
discrimination is obvious in government
employment, where HND holders are placed below
degree Degree holders.
A Professor of Education in Ebonyi State
University, Sunday Agwu asked the government, in
implementing such decision to consider admission
requirements, qualifications for lectuerers as well
as curricular.
