Ministry Of Education Denied Harmonising HND And university Degrees

The Ministry of Education has denied
harmonizing the degrees and higher national
diploma awarded by universities and
polytechnics.
A spokesperson for the ministry denied recent
reports that the dichotomy between Bachelors
and HNDs had been abolished, saying HND
holders must meet new requirements to attain
the Bachelors level.
Speaking to PREMIUM TIMES on Friday,
Benjamin Goong, said the ministry lacked the
power to end the inequality.
He however said the government had taken
steps to bridge the gap to ensure HND holders
are treated fairly when seeking for jobs.
“Two weeks ago, the ministry sent a memo to
the National Council of Establishments (NCE) to
institute a bridging program for the HND holders
and the proposal was approved.
“The bridging program is for HND holders who
can either attend the National Teachers Institute
(NTI) or any institution offering post-graduate
diploma programs, before they can attain the
level graduates can attain in the public sector.
“As per the approved memo, after the bridging
program, HND holders will now be offered jobs
from grade level 8 and finish at grade level 17
like graduates. Before now, HND holders were
only allowed grade level 7 and finish at grade
level 14.
“That is as far as it goes for now regarding the
B.Sc and HND dichotomy. Both are still very
different from each other,” he said.
An education analyst, Dorothy Oseni, said
creation of jobs for both B.Sc and HND holders
was the surest way of bridging the gap between
both classes of educated people.
“When the government, industries and companies
no longer discriminate against HND holders in
the labour market, the dichotomy will die a
natural death,” she said