The National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to assent to the bill removing the dichotomy between Higher National Diplomas and Bachelor’s degrees to put an end to age-long discrimination against polytechnic graduates in the workplace in Nigeria.
The students have equally issued a seven-day ultimatum for the management of the National Universities Commission (NUC) to retract its comments in opposition to the one-year top-up programme proposed by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) for HND holders as a remedial measure.
They threatened to picket the commission on the expiration of the 7-day ultimatum if it fails to rescind its position on the issue.
The newly elected national president of NAPS, Comrade Rilwan Munirudeen, spoke in Abuja while briefing newsmen on the state of polytechnic education in Nigeria.
The management of NUC and NBTE have been at loggerheads over the proposed one-year top-up programme for conversion of HND to the first degree being organized by NBTE in affiliation with some foreign universities for holders of HND certificates.
NAPS, however, appealed to Tinubu to look into the bill passed by the Ninth National Assembly on the Act of Dichotomy and discrimination between the first degree (B.S.C) and the higher National Diploma (HND) which former President Muhammadu could not assent before the end of his tenure.
He said: “We enjoin his excellency President Ahmed Tinubu to please act effectively on the bill as the bill is seeking to legislate on the discrimination of polytechnic graduates from their university counterparts in employment and promotion in the workplace.
“We call on the National Universities Commission (NUC) to restrain their step in holding HND on the top-up programme, and we are giving them seven (7) days ultimatum to retract and failure of their actions which we shall storm the Commission on picketing.”
He called on the stakeholders in the polytechnic sectors; including the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) to support the new leadership of NAPS in the efforts to advance the course of polytechnic education in Nigeria.
He used the occasion to congratulate President Tinubu on his victory in the Supreme Court of Nigeria, saying his victory sends a powerful message about the importance of perseverance and the pursuit of truth.
A former Senate President of NAPS, Comrade Lukman Salahudeen, said it was unfortunate that Nigeria places premium value on certificates over skills and competencies which are exemplified by polytechnic graduates in the workplace. (TheNation)
