The federal government recently scrapped the Award of Higher National Diploma (HND) Certificates by Polytechnics. The decision, which was taken at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, brings an end to the previously existing dichotomy between University and Polytechnic education in Nigeria.
Good enough, FEC did not get rid of the HND Award without making a comprehensive reform of Nigeria’s tertiary education system. In effect, the award is now limited to only students who are currently admitted for the HND programmes. All the programmes currently being run by polytechnics that are not technology-based are also to be scrapped. This new rule entails that Subject to the ratification of the Universities’ Councils, the Polytechnics will be turned to campuses of the proximate universities, while the Vice Chancellors of those universities are to appoint provosts for the polytechnics.
To flag off the new policy, the two famous polytechnics, Yaba College of Technology and…
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