The senate y'day has received a Bill for an Act to prevent discrimination against graduates and staff members of polytechnics and similar institutions in Nigeria in the areas of employment, promotion and career prospect.
The Bill, which was sponsored by Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education, Senator Joy Emordi and passed through first reading yesterday, has prescribed a five-year jail term for any person and/or corporate body who contravenes the provisions contained therein or a fine of =N=500,000 for individual or =N=1,000,000 for corporate organisation.
Forum what is your take on this?

This calls for celebration, joy and happiness for all nigerian polytechnic HND graduates, lecturers, staff and students of nigerian polytechnics. Parents whose children are graduates of polytechnics or undergraduates of polytechnics should also celebrate.

Our God is not asleep.

Wao! that is great.Hnd holders should be thankful.

I love this

[color=#000099][/color]
in fact, I'm very happy about this.

what have they being waiting for all this while ? if not that their children have being affected, at last.

This is how the bill came up

Disparity between HND, degree holders
There is no doubt that the disparity between university degree and Higher National Diploma (HND) has no useful purpose to serve. Infact, the recent move by the Senate to sponsor a Bill (i.e. to enact a law) to remove the disparity gives credence to this believe.
During the NTA network programme, “Inside the Senate”, on Thursday, August 10, 2006, Senator Joy Emodi, Chairman, House Committee on Education, said the disparity between university degree and HND was uncalled for, and that actions were proceeding in the Senate to sponsor a bill to give the two certificates the same status.
According to her,“There shouldn’t be any disparity between university degree and HND. I have invited the chairman of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) to come, so that we can look at it together and then sponsor a bill on it”.
There is no justification whatsoever for any disparity, as evidences abound that HND holders can compete effectively with university graduates in all spheres of life.
We have had cases in which HND holders competed with university graduates in examinations for employment and at post graduate levels, and HND holders performed better .
Similarly, the population of HND holders who pass professional examinations, such as ICAN, NIMN (alongside university graduates) is equally on the increase.
It should be noted that HND holders studied in polytechnics not as a result of academic incompetence, but owing largely to frustration (resulting from continued delay in securing university admission) and sometimes on financial grounds.
In fact, HND holders are not in any way inferior to universuty degree holders. At the primary and secondary school levels, the same lessons are taught, and the same examinations are set for them.
HND holders have been found to be very efficient by employers of labour, as they are more practical oriented than university graduates. So, the emphasis should be on holders (of Degree or HND) and not the title (or certificate).
In fact, the disparity between degree holders and their HND counterparts has not helped matters in admitting students to universities in the country. It is largely responsible for the stretching of our universities to their limit as students are hell-bent in securing admission into universities, rather, than seeing polytechnics as an alternative.
The Senate, therefore, deserves a pat on the back for making the move to give university degree and HND holders the same status.
One important thing to note is that, a good material (irrespective of the institution he or she is opportuned to attend) is like star that will shine even in darkness; that is, passing through the polytechnic is not a barrier to HND holders to compete effectively with university graduates.
Giving the same status to university degree and HND holders, will not only remove the stigma or correct the injustice meted out to HND holders, but will also reduce the pressure (and the attendant problems) mounted by a swam of admission seekers who are desperate to get a place in our universities.
Musa Olamoju, 37, Fadeyi Street, Oshinle Quarters, Akure.

If only this could be implemented it will go a long way to opening the golden potentials in the HND holders!The issue of HND or Bsc certificate is not our problem in this country but what we need is the actual performance,You dont need to shield a Bsc holder from competing with an HND holder by asking him to go away without testing him at all.
The basic problem we suffer here is according behavoural scientist is STEROTYPING(meaning judging from an activity or behaving)
Can anybody tell me or prove that all the students that graduated from the university are all brilliant.If ur anwer is NO then ,not all graduate of Polytechnic are dullard or not good for employment.
It then logically follows that equal opportunity shd be given to both during selection,then u are free to conclude from the result.
You see am writing as an HND upper credit(YABATECH) and Bsc holder(2.1)AAU-Ekpoma,Therefore,lets open our minds,and reason with me that HND or BSC certificate is a paper,it all depends on ur mind build up and experience.
After all,Non of the certificate guarantees prosperity.

Good talk Ayotunde. It's not the paper thing that matters in this country but self proof. that is why we are retrogressing in this coountry 'cos people are after the paper thing which some carriers can't defend owing to their non performance.

The problem is the university people, some of them dont want to agree that polytechnic graduates are as good as them or even better than them in some aspects. University graduates that did ND or HND before proceeding to do a university degree have told them loud and clear that polytechnics are not what they think they are, but they are still arguing blindly. The truth of the matter is that if they feel Bsc is superior to HND then they should never be afraid to allow HND holders compete favourably with them anywhere.