The National President of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Anderson Ezeibe, has called on the government to authorise polytechnics to award Bachelor's, Master's and Doctorate degrees to put an end to the BSc and Higher National Diploma (HND) dichotomy.
Ezeibe made this request at an award presentation and farewell ceremony organised by ASUP, Makarfi Chapter to mark the transition of Shehu Idris College of Health Sciences and Technology, Makarfi (SICHSTM) into Kaduna State University (KASU) which took place in Kaduna.
SICHSTM was incorporated with KASU by Gov. Nasir El-Rufa’i to award degrees, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
According to the President, with the transition of the college to a university, it is no longer a member of ASUP but of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
”ASUP is currently on advocacy for the award of bachelor of technology by the Nigerian polytechnics system.
”HND is no longer as attractive as it used to be to Nigerian youths because of the age-long dichotomy.
“Policymakers have made it a rule that once an individual has an HND, he cannot attain the peak of his/her career, then why are they continuing to force it on people, why don’t they phase it out and replace it with a bachelor of technology," he said.
in his argument, Ezeibe said the Nigerian polytechnic system had all it took infrastructure and human capital-wise to award the degrees in the areas of technology.
“In Europe, Germany, UK, America and all parts of the world, polytechnics are not limited to middle-level manpower.
“In the new polytechnic act, they are empowered to produce higher level manpower without limit, as we speak, many polytechnics are producing degree holders but in affiliation
“They are doing it with their own infrastructure and staff, why can’t they do it in the name of another institution?
“We are on serious advocacy regarding this and we have recently submitted a position paper to the federal government on the need to transit from the award of HND to bachelors, Masters and Doctorate degrees in technology with the Nigeria polytechnic system,” he argued.
Maintaining the move is the best way to bridge the gap between the HND and Bachelors Degrees, he said,
“The bill to stop the dichotomy has passed through all the stages of legislation but not accented by the President and the period has passed, which means there is no political will.
“So, if they are not ready to improve HND, they should phase it out and replace it with degrees in technology so as for us to continue to dwell in our own area of competence which is technical education.
”ASUP is faced with many challenges and success stories among which was their ability to change the model of engagement with proprietors of public polytechnics and collages of technology in the country.
“We also engage in a lot of advocacy which resulted in us attracting positivities to the Nigerian polytechnics system.
“Recently, six new centres of excellence have been established in the Nigerian polytechnic system, one in each geo-political zone, they are the first of their kind.
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