HND graduates can now rise above Level 14
From: Madu Onuorah
http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/news/article04/060106

President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday approved a new policy which reversed the existing policy that restricts holders of the Higher National Diploma (HND) from rising above Level 14 in the civil service.

The President also called for enhanced support by all Nigerians for the post-JAMB screening by the universities as a way of enhancing the standard of education.

The new policy brings to an end the bitter dichotomy that has pitched HND graduates against their more favoured graduates from the universities and made the HND subjects of discriminations in promotion and job prospects.

President Obasanjo, at a meeting with members of the House of Representatives Committeee on Education and Minister of Education, Mrs. Chinwe Obaji, directed his Chief of Staff (Maj Gen Mohammed Abdullahi) and Head of Service (Alhaji Yayale Ahmed) to immediately prepare a position paper reflecting the new position so that the Executive can put it into effect.

Chairman of the House Committee, Alhaji Ahmad Lawan later told journalists after the meeting that Obasanjo accepted to end the discrimination of HND holders because he was convinced that they could also be more useful to the nation without the Level 14 restriction placed on them.

According to him, "so many HND holders have contributed or are contributing very meaningfully to the development of Nigeria but the discrimination that is put on them that if you reach Level 14, you cannot go any further than that, places some kind of disadvantage not only the holders but on the country as well. Because these people ordinarily should have much more contributed to our development and we feel that the federal government should review this policy and the President accepted. In fact, he said that a position will be presented and he asked the Chief of Staff to look into that issue and to handle the documents that are needed in conjunction with the Head of Service."

The committee, Lawan stated, also urged the President to fight examination malpractices in the education sector in the same manner he is tackling widespread corruption in the country as it was the root issue at the dispute surrounding the post-UME screening exercise in tertiary institutions.

He suggested that that high profile individuals involved in examination malpractices be prosecuted and convicted in line with the 1999 Examination Malpractices Act, in order to send the right signals. "We feel that if we have high profile persons tried, jailed, or fired the incidences of will reduce or become very minimal."

In line with this, President Obasanjo called for greater support for the post UME admission screening policy as it would help reduce rampant cases of examination malpractices which he attributed to wrong perception of the aim of education.

This was in contrast to the position of the lawmakers who want the screening stopped and have invited the Attorney General and Minister Justice, Chief Bayo Ojo to explain to them the legality of the exercise.

The President said of the perpetrators of examination malpractice: "they see education as a means of meal ticket, getting a job and so must acquire the paper qualification by hook or crook. We must change that perception or orientation so that they will appreciate the intrinsic value of education which is the total development of the individual to be able to make meaningful contribution to the family, community and nation."

The President also approved a 100 per cent increase in the funds earmarked for the monitoring of the implementation of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme. The amount was increased from two per cent to four per cent of UBE funds.

Apple-Mac Computers have a very good example of how to respect hnd holders, or rather how to use the skills of technology-based education. But the question in the Nigerian case, may not have been asked or answered, until the president becomes a hnd holder too. Otherwise, it would remain a slow and steady upgrading of one group of people by the other group. It's clear that all men and women are not equal in Nigeria too.

Chf Obasanjo is HND holder COREN only made him Engineer when he became the president. Same way NSE made him their fellow can you see.

FG, corporate bodies hold onto HND/Degree discrimination
By Olubusuyi Adenipekun Posted to the Web: Thursday, January 12, 2006
Federal Government gave an impression last week that the official policy which approved a discriminatory treatment against holders of the Higher National Diploma (HND) in the country has been reversed, there is no hope that both government and corporate bodies will end the disparity between the polytechnic and university graduates. Indeed, the announced reversal of the policy which prevents HND holders from rising above salary grade level 14 in the civil service is a policy sommersault. This is so because the federal government recently gave the impression that it was more interested in employing university graduates than HND holders when it directed the federal civil service to commence the process of employing graduates with first and second class upper degrees. No directive was given on HND holders with high grades. In effect, the scapping of the salary disparity is to be enjoyed by HND holders who are already in the civil service. This employment discrimination which polytechnic products suffer is not limited to government establishments alone. The situation is worse with corporate organisations which do not consider HND holders worthy of being offered employment opportunities. In recent years, most newspaper staff vacancy advertisements of banks, oil companies and other corporate bodies request for university graduates with first class and second class upper degrees only, without considering HND holders with equally high grades. Recently, some banks announced that polytechnic products on their staff would be disengaged as part of the process of consolidation in the banking sector. Two important developments engendered the employment discrimination which HND holders are now contending with. The first is the abysmally poor performances of many university graduates at work places, an unsavoury situation that arose from the diminishing standards of education in the country. Many employers have had to expend a fortune on retraining graduate employees before they can be productive. If many university graduates of nowadays are so deficient, many prospective employers readily jumped to the conclusion that polytechnic products are simply not employable. The second cause of the discrimination of HND holders in job offers has to do with the poor state of the economy rather than their academic deficiency. According to Mrs Abimbola Odugbesan, rector of Yaba College of Technology between 1994 and 2001, "the reason why HND holders are being rejected by many organisations is not as if they are inferior or because they don’t perform. The main problem is that the economy is bad, it is employers’ market. They find a way of weeding people out. You have seen polytechnic graduates excelling in many areas. Private establishments should first assess the performances of HND holders instead dismissing themoutrightly." This view is informed by experience from interview panels which shows that those with HND could put up more impressive performance than those brandishing degree certificates. Government itself is quite aware of the enormous contributions of many HND holders to national development. According to the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Education, Alhaji Ahmad Lawan "so many HND holders have contributed or are contributing very meaningfully to the development of Nigeria but the discrimination that is put on them places some kind of disadvantage not only on the holders but on the country as well." Vocational and technical education, say analysts, has been identified as the bedrock of the nation’s, technological and industrial take off which the nation badly craves for and any policy that discriminates against the products of such technical education is simply a misdirected one.




N .I. T. E.

Nigerian Institute Of Technologists in Engineering

http://www.geocities.com/technologist_engr/principalpage.html

SMALL SCALE INDUSTRAIL ESTATE PL0T 4 LINCA WAY ISOLO.

P.O.BOX 3910 IKEJA LAGOS STATE.

PHONE: 01-4802798.

__________________________________________________

@HND-holder

This is still story to me o; uptil now nothing has been said about HND discrimination. HND holders are really suffering in the civil service.

this has be done. send your e. mail i will make the circular available to you

Hnd-holder:

this has be done. send your e. mail i will make the circular available to you

HND-holder, long time. I thought you have fashyed nairaland. What are you saying about the removal of bar for HND holders in the civil service? Are you saying they've removed that bar? Please send it to my box too. ishmaelxy@yahoo.com

@HND-holder

I have seen the circular; but that circular looks as if it's for road safety corps?? I thought it will be something that will be general for both state and federal ministries.

What about the entry level for HND holders, why is it still level 07 in some ministries??

During the NEC meeting at Uyo, some permanent Secretaries ask for time to study the main document. check end of dichotomy up at http://www.nate-ng.org

@HND-holder
I copied this from http:\\www.nate-ng.org. Has it been implemented after the Uyo 2009 NCE meeting??

The Office of Head of Service of the Federation should proceed to issue implementation circular letter without further delay after the 34th meeting of NCE scheduled to hold in Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State in 2009.

Why are HND holders still employed as level 07 and Bsc holders are employed as level 08 officers in ministries like interior ministry??

whts level 14 sef?
how much are they paid?

if i have to change to a govt parastatal, ill ask for level 21 cos i heard the salary in civil service is ***

@HND-holder
I copied this from http:\\www.nate-ng.org. Has it been implemented after the Uyo 2009 NCE meeting??

The Office of Head of Service of the Federation should proceed to issue implementation circular letter without further delay after the 34th meeting of NCE scheduled to hold in Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State in 2009.

Why are HND holders still employed as level 07 and Bsc holders as level 08 officers in some ministries like interior ministry??

Why the difference between HND and Bsc holders in parastatals like NNPC and DPR??

time for me and you to act. we are asking the government to implement their own white paper.

@HND-holder
I copied this from http:\\www.nate-ng.org. Has it been implemented after the Uyo 2009 NCE meeting??

The Office of Head of Service of the Federation should proceed to issue implementation circular letter without further delay after the 34th meeting of NCE scheduled to hold in Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State in 2009.

Why are HND holders still employed as level 07 and Bsc holders as level 08 officers in some ministries like interior ministry??

Why the difference between HND and Bsc holders in NNPC and DPR??

@HND-holder

HND holders are still not at par with Bsc holders in most ministries and parastatals, especially entry-level and job progression. you can reconfirm that.

Consequent upon the Presidential directives for the removal of Ceiling and other forms of Dichotomy, Discrimination and Stagnation from career progression of Higher National Diploma (HND) holders, the Federal Ministry of Education (FME) submitted a memorandum on the subject to the National Council of Establishment (NCE) at its 31st Meeting in Asaba, Delta State in December 2006. After all the deliberations Council directed Federal Ministry of Education (FME) to convene a Stake holders Forum to reflect and incorporate all shades of opinion on the matter, before final decision is taken. This position was reiterated at the subsequent Meetings of the Council at Abuja and Jos in 2007 and 2008 respectively.

At the end of the Two-Day Stake holders Meeting Forum of 15th-16th June, 2009 at Abuja, a Communiqué was presented.

The summary of the Communiqué is that the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation should proceed to issue implementation Circular letter without further delay after the 34th Meeting of National Council on Establishment (NCE) scheduled to hold in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, 2009.

This has been issued to some establishment such as FRSC send in your mail I shall forward scan coppy to you.

@Hnd-holder (m),
I am an HND graduate with bias in engineering, i must tell you that it is a pure waste of time to be waiting for the government to implement those useless policy.I work for myself so i determine my own destiny and where i want to go in life interms of success.I would have join the civil service in my state of origin but turn down the offer becuase 4 years before i graduated i had a nasty experience while on industrial attachment with a subsidiary of nnpc.I was being paid some money then which about (8K) WHICH is what my dad earns as a director in the state civil service with just few years to retire from the system(the period was around 1998).
Ever since i begin to read books on self development and how to be an enterpreneur.My dad finally retired in 2006 with a monthly salary of 55k,his pension is around 37k per month.
For the 35 years he spent in the civil service what did he achieve?, was able to send us to school, built a twin 3 bedroom apartment ,he leaves in one and rent out the other one for 100k per year.
What point am i driving at, is not what the whole trouble working for some asshole especially the state government, and all this rubbish about hnd/bsc holder.
My mates who took up job with the state govt. earns about 22k per month now(that would have included me if i have taken up the job then). This 22k per month is for both the BSc and HND guys in my state,so what is whole noise about hnd holders rising above level 14 in the civil service.
Thank God my dad belive me when i told him i would not take up the job then, that i would be on my own, today to the Grace of God i have to no regrets about it. I earn btw 180k -200k per month within the same environment where some my friends earns just 22k,i only behave as if i earn same 22k with my friends so i dont show it. Even some of my friends have cars on 22k job per month but i dont have one.
PLS not bragging let all undergradutes go and read books like rich dad poor dad, Guide to investing by Robert kiyosaki, Failing forward by John Maxwell ,so many other books too.It will challenge your real being not to settle for something less in life.
Cheers

@whatalife

Your Dad tried, and i'm sure he is a university graduate and not poly graduate with HND, else it would have been impossible for him to get to the rank of a Director in the civil service. All the same, i like your encouragement, it pays better to be self employed than relying on civil service and other private jobs that have one obnoxious policy to the other. Lastly we are not in support of the discrimination against HND holders both in the civil service and private sector. It should be removed completely. Imagine some government parastatals and ministries employ HND holders as level 07 while uni graduates are taken as level 08 officers; it really pains the HND holders.

@hnd holder

we know now you are baned for fighting the course of HND holders. You are not a spam carrier,

When will government implement the white paper?

@zebra,
He was a university graduate and even studied with govt. schorlaship in America up to MSc level.

whatalife:

@zebra,
He was a university graduate and even studied with govt. schorlaship in America up to MSc level.

Guy, your papa try o. Help me hail am i beg.

He is lucky not to have gone to Nigerian polytechnic he would have been frustrated

OPE2009:

He is lucky not to have gone to Nigerian polytechnic he would have been frustrated

You are right. if not him for no fit reach Director. ministry for hang am for level 14 till e old retire, but thank God.

I doubt if this proposal will change anything. ^{na today}

slimes:

I doubt if this proposal will change anything. ^{na today}

No talk so o; e fit change this o.

FG set to remove disparity between graduates of polys, varsities
Vanguard News paper Education Dec 9, 2009 By Olubusuyi Adenipekun

One of the budgetary proposals for 2010 which was submitted to the National Assembly by the Federal Ministry of Education, FME, is the request for financial backing for the policy already put in place by the Federal Government as regards the removal of disparity between the graduates of the nation’s polytechnics and universities.
The approval of the proposal will enable graduates of polytechnics to reach the final salary Grade Level with their university counterparts as well as other rights and privileges which they have not been enjoying.

The determination of the Federal Government to remove the age-long disparity between the two institutions once and for all is informed by its realisation of the crucial role which science and technology play in the development of any nation, and which will continue to elude Nigeria in as much as polytechnic graduates are rated second class citizens.

The position of government on this dichotomy between graduates of polytechnics and universities was made known by the Minister of Education, Dr. Sam Egwu while personally delivering his address at the 26th convocation of Yaba College of Technology on Friday last week.

Egwu said: “Government recognises the fact that no nation can develop without adequate technology, and as such, places much premium on science and technology.

To encourage and accelerate technology development in the country, the removal of the disparity between the polytechnics and universities, has become necessary as both sub-sectors have vital roles to play in uplifting Nigeria.

It is our expectation that the present government posture will be reflected in the 2010 budget. Very soon HND holders will command more respect than their degree holder counterparts.”

This removal of disparity among the graduates of the two sub-sectors is also to be extended to their staff. According to Egwu, efforts have reached an advanced stage in the enactment of laws to harmonise the retirement age of academic staff in all tertiary institutions, and for the running of B.Tech degree programmes in the polytechnics system, adding that in line with the Federal Government’s decision to always respond positively to genuine demands for improvement in the conditions of service of workers in the sector, it recently approved the implementation of CONTISS 15 in Federal Polytechnics and Colleges of Education.

Acknowledging that the nation’s educational system is faced with challenges such as inadequate and obsolete infrastructure and equipment, constraints of carrying capacity, curriculum inadequacy, weak linkage with industries as well as poor quality of research, the minister of education said that education is a priority in government spending.

He, however, said that as government cannot alone fund education adequately, tertiary educational institutions should begin to look inwards to generate revenue through enterprise, research and development to complement government subvention without compromising standards, adding that President Umar Yar’ Adua’s resolve to make Nigeria one of the world’s 20 economic powers by the year 2020 cannot be realised without deploying technology education as a veritable tool.
Just as Egwu stresses the need for the management of tertiary institutions to be highly innovative, he also identifies Governing Councils of educational institutions as having a strategic role to play in facilitating the required transformation of the Nigerian tertiary education system.

The Education Minister says: “Council of tertiary institutions are expected to familiarise and acquaint themselves with the role the education sector plays in the actualisation of Vision 20: 20:20, the Millennium Development Goals and the 7-Point Agenda of Mr. President.

The FME, in consultation with a broad spectrum of stakeholders has put in place a Roadmap, which encapsulates a 4-point agenda, to facilitate the attainment of the goal. The 4-pont agenda focuses on access, quality assurance, technical and vocational training and funding, resource mobilisation and utilisation.”

He enjoins all tertiary institutions to step up their entrepreneurial programmes so as to empower their students with the enablement for self-reliance through wealth creation upon graduation.

According to Dr. Egwu, the Marine Engineering programme and the private sector-driven Maritime Training Centre being established at the Epe Campus of Yabatech and Apapa Dockyard respectively by the college will definitely impact on the national economy, appreciating the authorities of the Nigerian Maritime and Safety Administration (NIMASA), Nigeria Ports Authority, the Nigerian Ship Owners’ Association, the Nigerian Association of Masters Mariners as well as some oil and gas companies that are collaborating with the college to ensure a smooth take-up of this Maritime Training Centre.

HND holder talk now can this be true? Can this policy change things?

OPE2009:

HND holder talk now can this be true? Can this policy change things?

This nigerian government can really decieve people. sebi they announced and published that the disparity had been remove sometimes ago during OBJ's regime? why are they still talking about removal again?? which one do we believe now?? I have learnt long ago never to take nigerian government serious. See the megawatts power issue, another national issue that should convince anyone not to take them serious.

Hnd holder where are you? come and answer this quetions now

OPE2009:

Hnd holder where are you? come and answer this quetions now

sebi una don ban HND-holder from posting on nairaland? is it because he's fighting for the emancipation and liberation of HND holders?

My little tips is not minding what implementation is been done to solve the problem of discrimination, but taking great steps to develop oneself. By so doing, an HND holder would sooner than later forget about anything like discrimination. Taking a PgD either full-time or part-time is on very good steps to take. And I tell you, with the very good qualities many HND graduates possess, you soon become far much better off, ever getting close to a Masters level. Combining the HND quality with a Postgraduate Certificate (PgD) the former HND graduate eventually finds her/himself far too far better off both in academics, private/public sector. Then the phobia of discrimination will never ever be there again.

I´m just trying to add this piece by a fellow Nigerian, who gave an insight into what HND looks like when it comes to education and ability to pursue a career without been pinned down by various discriminations all over.

So pls read this piece from a fellow Nigerian, what he has to say about HND when it comes to outside of Nigeria and her former colonial master´s land.
Enjoy reading, please.

HND and American universities[color=#000099][/color]
Saturday, 19 December 2009 00:09 Farooq Kperogi Notes from Atlanta

In the past few weeks, I have received no fewer than 10 emails from readers of this column asking questions about how the Higher National Diploma (HND) compares with American post-secondary educational qualifications. Does the United States have the HND or its equivalent? If no, do American universities accept HND graduates from Nigeria and elsewhere for graduate studies without requiring them to take remedial courses? Or do American universities also look down on HNDs like Nigerian and British universities do?

The straightforward answer, which derives from my personal experience with the American university system, is that the HND is treated almost exactly like a bachelor’s degree here. I know of many Nigerian and Canadian HND graduates who have been admitted to the master’s degree (and later PhD) programs of many American universities without undergoing remedial postgraduate diploma courses. (In any case, American universities don’t offer postgraduate diplomas).

The closest and most recent Nigerian HND graduate I know of who is pursuing a master’s degree at a U.S. university as of the time writing this column is a man who graduated from the Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu, with an HND in mass communication. He is, incidentally, studying for his master’s degree in communication at the University of Louisiana—my alma mater.

I once narrated the story of an HND graduate from Canada whose qualification was mistaken for a master’s degree at the University of New Orleans. This confusion arose, perhaps, because in American English “diploma” is the generic word for a document certifying the successful completion of any course of study. It’s equivalent to what we call “certificate” in British and Nigerian English. (Even the document certifying the completion of the PhD is called a “diploma” here).

Given that background, it’s easy to understand how a “higher diploma” would be mistaken for an advanced degree. But that’s not the only reason why HNDs are not discriminated against in American universities. There are at least four other reasons.

First off, let it be known that the American university system has no concept of the HND. Institutions of higher education here just award associate, bachelor’s, master’s and PhD degrees. Associate degrees are awarded only by “community colleges” after two years of study. They are, in some sense, equivalent to our Ordinary National Diploma (OND) or, perhaps, British and Nigerian “A” levels. Universities and colleges award bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD degrees. Although the word “college” is the generic term for what we would recognize as “university” in Nigeria (Americans describe people as “college-educated” if they have at least a bachelor’s degree) schools designated as “colleges,” for the most part, only award bachelor’s degrees.

Now, it is also usual for American colleges and universities to have the word “polytechnic” in their names even though they bear no resemblance whatsoever with the British and Nigerian concept of polytechnic. For example, 15 miles north of Atlanta, there is a school called the Southern Polytechnic State University, which awards bachelor’s and master’s degrees in technical and vocational fields, the humanities, the social sciences and the sciences. Other popular American universities with “polytechnic” in their names are, the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (often just called Virginia Tech), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (where Dr. Gabriel Oyibo of GAGUT infamy teaches), California State Polytechnic University, etc.

So when somebody comes to America with a qualification from a “polytechnic,” it’s likely to be regarded as the equivalent of a university degree since universities in America, as you have seen, can also be known as “polytechnics.” That’s probably the second reason why HNDs from Nigerian polytechnics and elsewhere are not discriminated against here.

The third possible reason why HNDs are not discriminated against by many U.S. universities is because the qualification is awarded after four years of post-secondary education. When you add to this the fact that these “higher diplomas” are given by “polytechnics” (a name often associated with universities here) it’s easy to understand why HNDs are easily accepted as the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree.

Now, compare this with the experience of Indians whose bachelor’s degrees from universities are never accepted as the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree precisely because it takes only three years to get a bachelor’s degree in the social sciences and humanities in India. An Indian master’s degree is accepted as the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree. That’s why every Indian here has a master’s degree.



Lastly, as I once mentioned on this page, admission to graduate schools in U.S. universities is often the result of a multi-faceted process. The most important of this process, however, is getting an acceptable score in the Graduate Records Examination (GRE). So even if you have an HND but received very high scores in the GRE you have a greater chance to get into graduate programs in U.S. universities than someone with a first-class degree from a university but with low GRE scores.

In the UK from where we inherited the tradition of HNDs, polytechnics have been discontinued since 1992. They have all transmuted into universities both in name and curriculum. As you would expect, HND holders still face discrimination in UK universities. In other words, U.S. universities are more welcoming to HND grad