Idris Bugaje, executive secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), has defended the push for polytechnics to award bachelor’s degrees.
Bugaje said the move would eliminate the long-standing discrimination against higher national diploma (HND) holders.
In an interview with TheCable, Bugaje described the perceived superiority of university degrees over HNDs as a “Nigerian mentality” that has stunted the career growth of polytechnic graduates.
He claimed that HND holders in the public service cannot rise beyond grade level 14, while university graduates can attain directorship positions, despite having similar qualifications.
“At the moment, an HND holder in public service cannot go beyond grade level 14, whereas a university graduate can rise to become a director. There is no real practical reason for this,” Bugaje said.
To address this, NBTE is advocating for polytechnics to phase out HND programmes and introduce bachelor of technology degrees.
He said degrees would differ from those offered by universities by placing equal emphasis on character, learning, and practical skills.