Abolish HND: Former NABTEB Registrar Proposes Radical Change for Nigerian Polytechnics

• Prof. Olu Aina, former NABTEB Registrar, has called on the Federal Government to empower Nigerian polytechnics to award bachelor and postgraduate degrees
• During a convocation lecture at the Osun State College of Technology, he emphasized the need for structural reforms within the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE)
• Aina's recommendations include extending the National Diploma to three years with integrated apprenticeship periods

Prof. Olu Aina, former Registrar of the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB), has called on the Federal Government to enable polytechnics to award bachelor and postgraduate degrees in technology-related programs.

Prof. Aina emphasised the need to abolish the Higher National Diploma (HND) during his convocation lecture at the 8th combined convocation of the Osun State College of Technology, Esa-Oke.

Call for Degree Programs in Polytechnics

Delivering a paper titled ‘Revitalising Polytechnic Education in Nigeria: From Challenges To Opportunities,’ Aina highlighted that the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has failed to fulfill its regulatory obligations.

Read also

Rivers state university 36th Convocation: 120 first class degrees and first nursing graduates

This failure, he argued, has led to Nigerian polytechnics lagging behind their global counterparts.

Aina advocated for polytechnics to retain their designations while being statutorily empowered to offer degree programs at Bachelor, Masters, and Ph.D. levels in technology-related fields.

Abolishment of the Higher National Diploma

Prof. Aina proposed that the National Diploma (ND) should continue, but the Higher National Diploma (HND) should be abolished.

He recommended a transition period of five to six years to allow academic staff to upgrade their qualifications.

The new National Diploma should span three years, incorporating two six-month apprenticeship periods after the first semesters of the first and second years, with the final two semesters focused on school-based learning.

Structural Reforms for NBTE

Criticizing the current structure of the NBTE, Aina noted that it has become part of the problem rather than a solution for polytechnic education.

He called for the establishment of a new commission dedicated to polytechnics, ensuring effective delivery on their mandate.

Read also

Drug abuse: Bikers group partners NDLEA, lawmaker to sensitise Nigerian students

Ending Dichotomy Between Polytechnic, University

Previously, Legit.ng reported that the National University Commission (NUC) has said the differences between the university degree holders and the Higher National Diploma still exist, adding that the act to abolish it has not been signed by President Bola Tinubu.

Chris Maiyaki, the NUC acting secretary, in a statement on Sunday, October 15, made the clarification while dismissing the report that the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has started offering a year course to make the programme equal with the Bachelor's degree, Daily Independent reported.

Source: Legit.ng