₦airaland Forum

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 university
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).
Polytechnic education was designed as a component of the country's
philosophy of manpower development.

The HND/BSc unending discrimination and ensuing debate are one major reason
besides "corruption" why Nigeria has failed to industrialize, because those
who know are often sidelined and those who don't know get moved into
positions of decision making, where they wield power -unfortunately with
little real life experience on which to ground their decisions, and so they
fail! If you ask us, telling a lie is the root of all corruption. Telling a
deliberate lie [when we say a man is "not qualified or not competent" when
in fact he is!] - because of the inordinate ambition to gain an upper hand
over a good competitor- is corruption.
All corrupt acts necessarily begin with a deliberate lie. Of what use is the
registration with COREN as Engineering Technologist so our members says.
COREN registration cannot remove shame from our HND certificate. The
impression in many circles is that the university degree that COREN
registered, as Engineers is much higher than the Higher National Diploma
(HND) registered as Engineering Technologist. What is more, polytechnic
students aspire to acquire university qualification after the HND in form of
PGD for Nigerian society of engineers membership.

We in NATE have followed closely the interesting debates over the years on
this matter of HND/BSc. We hope that the COREN we give us some grant to go
into our archives and re-publish the series of major seminar papers and
memoranda on this issue for the education of the public at large. One other
impact of the discrimination against HND in Nigeria is the squander/wastage
of national intellectual and industrial potential and capacity. We are
convinced that the only intent of the Government institutionalized
discrimination is the elimination of serious competitors in the deliberately
narrowed field of participation created by the lack of industrial and
cultural expansion in Nigeria.
When next you see anyone brandishing their paper qualifications but not
their performance track record, take note that you are seeing an ignorant
person covering up the fact with the futile arrogance of paper. He/she is a
paper tiger. A tiger does not boast of its tigritude [paper/theoretical
ability to maul], it will actually tear up somebody, and the case is
settled! Let the paper tiger SHOW US what they have done with their paper
degree. It is all part of the culture of waste prevalent in the
underdeveloped mind.
We must redeem the day. The Indians (and now)- the Chinese too are already
there! Let Nigerian stop boasting and let us start doing and our work will
speak for us.

", however difficult the moment, however frustrating the hour, it
will not be long, because truth pressed to earth will rise again.
How long? Not long, because no lie can live forever.
How long? Not long, because you will reap what you sow.
How long ? Not long, because the arm of the moral universe , bends
towards justice." Behind tomorrow's curtain" Martin Luther King
Jr. March 25, 1965

This quote is from the speech OUR GOD IS MARCHING ON delivered by Martin
Luther King Junior (MLK) in the front of the Alabama State capitol in
Montgomery, to celebrate the triumph of the four-day grueling march from
Selma's bloody Edmund Pettus Bridge. In the celebrated speech, MLK invited
those who vowed that the civil rights protesters would never get to the
steps of the capitol and those who swore that it would only happen over
their dead bodies to come and attest to the victory of the burning desire
for freedom over that of bondage. He was ecstatic about the triumph and he
reveled in it.

Till today an HND holder on level 13 who registered as Technologist with
COREN and later had the mature rout with COREN as engineer is still
reporting to a level 9 officer with university degree. The mature route was
more of trap than progress as most members are either retired or frustrated
after such an exercise. But of course, you must understand that the society
is changing. when the current President was a military Head of State, he
tried to harmonize the graduates of the polytechnic with those of
universities, but it did not work. The employers themselves sometime prefer
some polytechnic graduates to university graduates in some professions.

This has been a recurring decimal in the Nigerian education system. We
could recall by the year 1983 – 84, following the Cookey Commission report,
there was a distinction that was created between the salaries of he various
tertiary institutions, these emanated from the provisions of the policy of
education in the country, because within the polity, there was a need to
create various categories of manpower in the system; middle level manpower,
high-level manpower and the rest of them.

Why pegging HND holders progress? Even in the university, there is an
institutional organ called the congregation or the convocation, to be a
member of the congregation, you should be a graduate (which is not a right
of Polytechnics graduate) and by the interpretation of the graduate, you
have to be a degree holder. Because of that in the appointment of, say the
Engineering personnel some with HND who are very good, can not be place in
the position even with COREN engineering Technologists Certificate, because
if you do, you are no more qualified to be a member of the congregation. So
such things are there.

Over 75 percent of polytechnic lecturers are university
graduates and are designated as lecturers, having the career path of
becoming Chief Lecturer, Head of School, and Rector. Polytechnic graduates
are called instructors and cannot attain any of these positions except they
get additional University degree. This discrimination is now more prevalent
in the larger society where some government agencies and private companies
have refused to employ polytechnic graduates with its COREN Engineering
Technology registration.

Section 6 of the National Policy on Education, listed the Polytechnics as one of the five types of
technical education institutions outside the Universities which offer technical education. It further defined technical education as that aspect of education which leads to the acquisition of practical and applied skills as well as basic scientific knowledge. The polytechnics that most of the adaptive researches, relevant to national aspirations for development were
being carried out.

Same privileges for Technologists and Engineers is what we feel can
maintained Engineering man power pyramid in the this country or outright
cancellation of the Technologists cadre if better treatment cannot be given
to the Technologists. The FTC and ND holders could occupy the cadre, as the
HND is not inferior to first Degree in Nigeria again, the National Diploma
(ND) programmes may be retained "as a non-degree component as this is the
critical middle level manpower that the country needs. Engineering
Technology was duped on HND holders, why some university actually have
faculty of Technology, we of NATE felt this is part of the hatred for HND as
those who had Bachelor of technology in engineering were registered as
engineers.
This is one of the sour points in polytechnic education, because employers
of labour and universities refuse to rate HND as equivalent to a university
degree for the purpose of employment or use the Engineering Technologist
certificate of COREN as something with value.

HND holders ordinarily should have much more contributed to our
development and we feel that the COREN should review its policy with the
presidential directive. The Higher National Diploma (HND) as a programme in
the country’s education system would cease to exist when the government
abolished it and replace it with B. Sc, B.Eng., and B. Tech.

At today about 50% of new intakes in NSE had HND+PGD, so who would want to
remain as technologist? So many HND holders have contributed or are
contributing very meaningfully to the development of Nigeria. The
discrimination preventing NATE members from going beyond Level 14 in the
civil and local Government services is on solvable with COREN registration.
The civil service only recognized Technical and Higher Technical Officers.
This Engineering Technologists is still strange to the civil service,
Technologists cannot go any further, and this places some kind of
disadvantage not only on the HND holders and COREN but on the country as
well.

No body give any respect to COREN Technologist Registration, the certificate
is worthless and has no professional value for academic, employment even
consultancy. As at today more than 70% of registered Technologist already move to the
register of engineers and mostly current NATE members are fully registered
engineers, by every standard those that are not registered as engineers are
more than qualify. Why should we waste our money trying to be Engineering Technologist when we can equally be engineers that is why the register of Engineers swelled up

Today we are witnessing Engineering Technologist and Engineers in Nigeria.
In the Trenched hall University of Ibadan at the 7th Arokodare Memorial
lecture, Engr. Fadupin did not hide his feeling of hate when he openly
called on the NSE to do more by opposing COREN registration through mature
program. Since nurses, Pharmacists and lawyers do not have mature route, so
let every body go on a level playing ground. NSE should be for university
graduate. All that attend polytechnic at one time or the other should join
the TECHNOLOGIST, Today the Nurses and other paramedical stayed on their
own. HND engineering can go to places and have their own council.

In 1998 an amicable resolution to this "hate crimes" was reached a mature
route for was open for HND graduate, COREN counter proposal limit the mature
route to 1982. NSE put a stop to this mature route in 1999 then NATE have to
sacrifice by agreeing to change name for this, the mature route became open
till December 2002 for graduate who are 45 years of age and obtained HND
1982.

Consequently, NATE agreed to change name to Technologist Engineering. COREN
which has been sponsoring a rival group NIET for registration is in a
delimma to withdraw that sponsorship or not, and the mature route was
announced on November 16th at Owerri by COREN'S president Engr. Osoba. The
important of this route was that all those who graduate up to 1982 with HND
became be Engineers but still in their old grade up till today leaving the
Technologist.

NATE as an association has tried very much in championing the right cause of
HND holders right from inception, NATE has always opposed the designation as
Engineering Technologist but for separation of Identity Technological
Engineers was used. Re-designating courses run in the Polytechnic as
Technology is a plan to prevent competition and it was so easy to libeled
the HND Engineers as Technologist. In Canada Technologist is 3 years course
and not in anyway trained as Nigerian HND.

NATE challenge the right of NSE to conduct such exams in court but due to
“superior” ability of NSE, the court was well attended by brilliant lawyers
and the situation favor NSE as reported by Prof. Ade Ajayi's History of NSE
The past debts inherited by Engr. Inuwa may also be reckoned as the sore
problem caused by NATE who had taken the NSE to court over the graduateship
examination for HND holders.

The "hate" became critical when Engr. Inuwa became president of COREN and
again used his influence with the Government, he was able to complete the
process of amending Decree 55 of 1970. Thus Degree 27 of 1992 finally rename
Technological Engineers as Engineering Technologist with abbreviation
Engn.Tech which Britain used for their Technician.
Before this new decree NATE was involved in the amendment. COREN, agreed to
Technological Engineers in fact NATE suggested COREN'S new name "Council for
Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) as a way to meet the desire of
the HND holders. Several other issues were yet unresolved before some people
with vested interest in COREN rushed into the amendment of the decree.

To this end a rival organization was floated by COREN and financed by NSE
named Nigerian Institute of Engineering Technologist (NIET) whose
registration was rejected by corporate affairs commission (CAC) this was to
put to rest the agitation of NATE.

This is another way the NSE deflated the Technologist cadre. Even then the
first examination held by NSE was drawn for 20 candidates but only two
showed up and only one wrote the paper. The other spent time to explain the
Hate-Crimes as a protest to why he should not write the examination. In 1985
the NSE introduced a local ladder an equivalent of CE I part II examination
through the approval by council, the first exam proper was held in 1988 and
by the end of 1990, 693 HND holders and FTC holders had taken the exam it
these men were Technologist now we shoul be talking above 1000 Technologists
and for years only 124 had passed the examination and waited again for 2
years before been registered by COREN.

For HND holders, discrimination in labour market continues since nobody
seems to know the meaning of ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY and this cannot be
justified, each HND programme is a five years programme at the polytechnic
against the 4 years of the University engineer,we gave our support for the
call for polytechnic cancellation.

Nigerian Association of Technologists and Engineers (NATE) is the only HND
holders organized society for now, and the experience so far show the hatred
from the B.Sc. Engineers for the TECHNOLOGIST. The HND engineering
graduates were refused recognition and often lumped in the technical cadre
with those of lower qualification.

In the public service HND holders are employed on GL 07 the
limit to an HND holder is Chief Technical officer, The Engineering
technologist do not exist beyond COREN office as the civil service seems to
have no record of it so they could  not recognize it. Whereas a University
degree who registered with COREN can rise far above to Directorate level,
the grade Level bar  on the HND holders who are Civil Servants has been
removed the engineering technologist should enjoy it. Gasper (2000) stated
that the division of labour at engineering cadre is not to make one cadre
superior to the other.

The universal technological man power pyramid we know before the
introduction of Engineering Technology is ratio 1:4:12 very effective for
this country when one Engineer requires four technician and 12 craft men.
This is still what is in practice today in advanced countries of the wolrld,
the word craft was simply changed to betternames as Technician or
TECHNOLOGIST where someTechnician was branded as Technologists not trained
like the Nigerian HND. Other countries use the word technician to replace
craft men.
The Nigerian polytechnics syllabus for  Higher National Diploma is far above
some of these countries Engineering technology. Nigerian HND certificate was
regarded as  that of postgraduate in some countries, based on the workload
and the credit hours. The only reason for the scanty nature of the COREN
register for Engineering Technologist is the placing of the cadre as a sub
to Degree.

The National Policy on Education (2004) states that the polytechnics shall provide the technical knowledge and skills necessary for agricultural, industrial, commercial, and economic development of Nigeria. But, by their training, technical hands are equipped to self-employ and even create jobs.
The polytechnics are further mandated to give training and impart the necessary skills for the production of technicians, technologists and other skilled personnel who shall be enterprising and self-reliant.

http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/editorial_opinion/article01/050207
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EDITORIAL& OPINION
The scrapping of HND: A bad policy
THE Federal Government’s decision to scrap the Higher National Diploma (HND) qualification awarded in its polytechnics makes no sense whatsoever.
A certain Professor Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Presidential Technical Committee on the Consolidation of Tertiary Institutions was quoted to have said, somewhat with an air of finality, that from the day the report (of the committee) is finally approved and the necessary changes in the law made, “in the next few months, there will be no HND as a programme anywhere. It will be abolished and replaced by B.Sc., B.Eng. and B.Tech. as the case may be”.
The professor hinges his committee’s position on the refusal of employers of labour and universities to rate the HND as equal to a university degree. In his considered opinion, therefore, the consolidation of these institutions and the conversion of Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) and Kaduna Polytechnic into universities will solve the problem permanently. We say unequivocally that this is a bad policy based on a flawed, even trivial justification.
First, the reason advanced by the learned professor. No one should deny that the HND is not the same as a degree: whereas both are tertiary level qualifications, the admission criteria differ and the course contents differ, and the specific purpose for which, say, a manufacturer hires an HND holder is not that for which he would hire a university trained engineer. Obviously then, employers of labour, as well as the universities have the right and duty to maintain the distinction, but without falling into the pit of undeserved discrimination. At any rate it is because there is a fundamental difference that the one is called a polytechnic and the other a university. And, while the one can be upgraded to the other, the reverse is never done. But why scrap a major national education policy merely because some interests react to it in their own peculiar way?
Polytechnic education was introduced as a component of our philosophy of manpower development, and for good reason. Not a decision frivolously taken by the founding fathers of the relevant institutions this type of tertiary level education was established by law, conceived, designed, and carried on to meet specific educational ends of the students on the one hand, and the manpower needs of our country on the other. The complement of goals has served Nigeria’s human and national purposes. Indeed, there has never been any doubt about Nigeria’s desperate need for technical expertise; the polytechnics exist to produce trained personnel with hands-on technical skills for the real sector of the economy.
As a general rule, the real sector of the economy is the engine of national economies; in a well-managed economic system, therefore, technical hands that make the industries run, that translate the ideas on the drawing boards into equipment and goods, are most sought after, they are never in need of employment if they so choose. The National Policy on Education (2004) states that the polytechnics shall provide the technical knowledge and skills necessary for agricultural, industrial, commercial, and economic development of Nigeria. But, by their training, technical hands are equipped to self-employ and even create jobs.
The polytechnics are further mandated to give training and impart the necessary skills for the production of technicians, technologists and other skilled personnel who shall be enterprising and self-reliant. Over the years our HND graduates have generally not been found wanting in terms of competence. Besides, very many successful and highly placed persons in government and business are HND holders. There is ample evidence that when it comes to getting the job done, the hood does not make the monk; the certificates don’t either.
That the technical cadre of our country’s manpower is falling into disrepute is a glaring pointer to the abysmal failure of government at two levels: manpower planning and economic management. The factories are closing or relocating at an alarming rate, the ones still in business operate at a fraction of installed capacity, many warehouses have been converted into houses of worship. There is, as a result, a shortage of factories to train polytechnic graduates in the practical aspect of their education.
Over time, there is a growing dearth of properly trained and sufficiently experienced technical personnel to repair equipment, erect buildings and other structures without flaws, and generally service the national economy with their knowledge and skills. There are many products that Nigeria imports but which can be produced here by our technicians if only government would create the enabling environment.
Furthermore, the government is charged by the National Policy on Education to improve immediate and long-term prospects of polytechnic graduates and other professionals with respect to their status and remuneration. Surely this can be done without the cancellation of HND programmes that is being contemplated. The only consolation is that the Federal Government is restricting itself to Federal universities; state governments should refuse to follow the Federal Government’s example in this matter. State Policy on Education should not be based on the imitation of ill-digested models, either local or foreign. It is totally simplistic to argue that Nigeria should convert its polytechnics into universities because another country is doing so.
It needs be stated that the university imparts a particular kind of education, it teaches why things work; the polytechnic teaches how things work. A nation needs both to drive its development process.

Hot from NATE88ET76@YAHOO.COM
"The Nigeria Association of Technologists and Engineers (NATE) is a Professional Association of mainly Polytechnic Graduates in Engineering and Allied Professions. The Association, established in 1976 and Incorporated in 1988 is the only organized and registered body of Polytechnic Graduates in Nigeria. They have always been concerned and  mindful of the plight of HND holders .

The Association have made presentations on this matter to:
1. Federal Ministry of Education
2. Federal Ministry of Science and Technology
3. Federal Ministry of Establishment
4. Federal Ministry of Works
5. Federal Ministry of Justice.
And most importantly visit to Mr. President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo on more than one occasion.

the fact that HND and BSC are equivalent qualifications.
In the past, the Federal Government have set-up several commission among which are Chief C.A.E Longe commission 1990 and Justice Kalu Anyan commission 1999 for the  review of higher education in Nigeria.

The outstanding conclusion of this commission is that “The HND Curriculum was since enriched to supersede that of the Universities to meet the demand of higher technological manpower”. Recently, the Federal Government, in recognition of this outstanding conclusion decided to abrogate the ceiling placed on HND as part of the measure to eliminate the discrimination against them.

NATE on behalf of millions of HND holder in Nigeria welcome and embrace the consolidation of tertiary education as pronounced by the Federal Government in its totality. From what we have read in the Newspapers, the Federal Government has abrogated the HND qualification. This is in line with current trend, the world over as in UK and Ghana and it is commendable. "

How far?

we aare all asking the same quetion. but the answer will come up soon.

ishmael:
HND-holder, i no understand you again o, are we still together??

We are together what HND join let no degree put assunder.

Polytechnic again? such was what Yetunde Karonwi told an HND holder who was asking somebody to obtain polytechnic form for survival in 1992.
Discrimination is equal to poly not HND, because till date some university do award Final Diploma  or HND etc without discriminations.

Source: Daily Graphic http://www.graphicghana.info/article.asp?artid=9174




Polytechnic Education
(11/22/2005)
The country’s polytechnics have been given approval by the government to run Bachelor of Technology programmes to enable holders of the Higher National Diploma to undertake higher academic pursuits more readily.

It has not been easy upgrading facilities at the polytechnics to get to the level where they will have the competence to award degrees,in addition to the diploma certificates.

The focus of polytechnic and university education is not the same and cannot be the same or similar.

Whereas the content of programmes at the polytechnic level has a preponderance of practical training,the university curriculum is informed more by theory.

Unfortunately,however,in our attempt to re-engineer polytechnic education and make it diffused regionally,we fell into the temptation of comparing and equating the HND to bachelor degrees,to the extent that when some HND holders secured jobs and they were placed lower than their colleagues with first degrees,it resulted in nationwide strikes by polytechnic students.

Indeed,the Ghana National Union of Polytechnic Students resolved that it would stop at nothing until HND holders were placed and paid the same level of remuneration as their first degree counterparts from the universities.

Matters were not helped by the fact that the tendency in this country is that we see the first degree of the university as superior to any certificate from the polytechnic,when the rest of the world fully acknowledges the worth of the polytechnic student when it comes to skill training and performance.

But whatever the problems and difficulties,approval has been given to the polytechnics to offer first degree programmes,with the possibility of offering higher degrees in due course,depending on the development of faculty.

However,if the internal structures of the polytechnics are not improved upon,their students could still be disadvantaged.

One of the major frustrations confronting polytechnic students is the undue delay in the release of their examination results.

Presently,results of the final examinations of the universities are released before the students undergo national service.

Thus students who passed out of the universities in the last academic year have got to know their results and those who needed to resit in some subjects have done so.

On the other hand,the polytechnic students who have completed their national service are yet to know whether they were successful in their examinations or otherwise.

Therefore,if university and polytechnic students who completed their courses in the 2003/2004 academic year were to go into the job market,there is no way that polytechnic students whose results are not known could compete favourably with their university colleagues whose results have been published.

It is our hope that the polytechnics would look at ways to improve upon their efficiency in the management of examinations and release of results,such that the “underprivileged”polytechnic student would not be further disadvantaged in competing on the job market on the basis of time.

Four Ghanaian Polytechnics To Run Degree Programme

Four Polytechnics in Ghana are ready to start the Bachelor of Technology programme this year. The polytechnics are Ho, Kumasi, Takoradi and Accra. They have already submitted their curriculum and syllabus to the National Council for Tertiary Education and are awaiting for approval from the National Accreditation Board.

The President of the Ghana National Union of Polytechnic Students (GNPS), Mr Kwodwo Adjei, who disclosed this during a press conference in Accra, called on the government to expedite action on the proposal to enable the programme to take off as planned.

He also appealed to the government to put the necessary infrastructure in place to enable polytechnic graduates to pursue Masters and Doctorate degrees in Technology in the country.

According to him, this would bring relief to about 48,000 students who had passed through the Higher National Diploma (HND) system and were in dire need of furthering their education, as well as some 21,000 who were currently in the system and hoping to enter it in the future. “If the nation is to make any meaningful strive in development, it must place emphasis on polytechnic education”, he stressed.

He stated that PNDC Law 321, which established the HND Programme, clearly provided that the polytechnics would get to a level where they could run degree programmes. He continued that it was over 10 years now and so it was believed that the polytechnics were ready to take up that challenge.

He noted that the situation where holders of HND who wished to further their education at the country’s universities were made to start from level 100 amounted to a waste of resources. He said when HND holders from Ghana travel to places like the United States of America and Britain, they were made to do a top-up of three to six month-programmes to qualify them to do Masters of Technology.

Source: Daily Graphic http://www.graphicghana.info/article.asp?artid=9174

I am keeping my fingers cross

My brother I am tired o