₦airaland Forum

The Federal Government has announced plans to finally abolish the long-standing dichotomy between Higher National Diploma (HND) and Bachelor’s degree holders, a move expected to significantly reform Nigeria’s tertiary education system.

Under the proposed reform, accredited polytechnics will be empowered to award bachelor’s degrees, placing them on the same academic and professional footing as universities. The policy shift is aimed at ending decades of discrimination faced by HND holders in employment, career progression, and public service appointments. Eyes Of Lagos reports,

Education sector officials disclosed that the initiative forms part of the government’s broader efforts to modernise Nigeria’s technical and vocational education framework and align it with global best practices.

According to the government, in many advanced economies, polytechnics and universities operate as complementary institutions, each fulfilling distinct but equally valued roles in national development, innovation, and workforce training.

For years, education stakeholders have criticised the HND–degree divide, describing it as unfair and counterproductive. Critics argue that the dichotomy has undermined technical education, discouraged enrolment in polytechnics, and devalued graduates with strong hands-on and industry-focused training.

The proposed reform is expected to enhance the status of polytechnic education, strengthen skills development, and improve the employability of graduates in both local and international labour markets.

Analysts believe the policy, if fully implemented, could help reposition Nigeria’s education system to better meet the demands of industrial growth, technological advancement, and economic diversification.

eyesoflagos:
https://eyesoflagos.com/2026/01/22/fg-scrap-hnd-degree-dichotomy-polytechnics-award-degrees/

eyesoflagos:
https://eyesoflagos.com/2026/01/22/fg-scrap-hnd-degree-dichotomy-polytechnics-award-degrees/

Nwaikpe:
At this point, it is clear that the leaders don't know the meaning of education.

OracleJay411:
How? What are U afraid of?
How? What are U afraid of?
How? What are U afraid of?

Kobicove:
They have been trying to remove this dichotomy for as far back as I can remember

Nwaikpe:
At this point, it is clear that the leaders don't know the meaning of education.

If you remove the distinction between a degree and an HND, you then will need to develop another institution that caters to the needed technical skills. And then, those people will face the dichotomy again.

There is nowhere in the world where a technical diploma is equated to a degree or "academic diploma" (as in Germany Austria, Finland, etc.)
The technical diploma was meant to complement the academic diploma (degree).

There is a very important distinction in these two systems: the course credit system.

The course credit system for academic diplomas is based mainly on class (course) hours. While the credit for the diploma is based mainly on lab (practical) hours. That is why everywhere in the world, degrees do 90% class and 10% practicals, while technical diplomas do 90% practicals and 10% class work.

Although due to the twisted nature of the Nigerian educational system, you will see polytechnic students doing 60% classwork, 20% practicals, and 20% argument on how they are better than university graduates.

That is why a mechanical engineering polytechnic student is busy running around, looking for how to solve a strength of materials equation, to prove that he knows "the theory," when he is supposed to be learning turning operations on the lathe machine.
While a mechanical engineering student is running around, looking for how he can learn turning operations on the lathe machine so that he can prove that he knows "the practicals," when he is supposed to be solving strength of materials equations.

That is why the graduate engineer runs around, looking for jobs that should be for the technologists, and the graduate technologists run around looking for jobs that should be for the graduate engineer. The employer now sees that the engineering graduate is not qualified to be a technologist because he is not practical enough, and the technologist graduate is not qualified to be an engineer because he is not theorically grounded enough. Both of them loose the jobs, and become unemployable. Then they blame the government.

Truly a twisted system.

eyesoflagos:
https://eyesoflagos.com/2026/01/22/fg-scrap-hnd-degree-dichotomy-polytechnics-award-degrees/

Nwaikpe:
At this point, it is clear that the leaders don't know the meaning of education.

If you remove the distinction between a degree and an HND, you then will need to develop another institution that caters to the needed technical skills. And then, those people will face the dichotomy again.

There is nowhere in the world where a technical diploma is equated to a degree or "academic diploma" (as in Germany Austria, Finland, etc.)
The technical diploma was meant to complement the academic diploma (degree).

There is a very important distinction in these two systems: the course credit system.

The course credit system for academic diplomas is based mainly on class (course) hours. While the credit for the diploma is based mainly on lab (practical) hours. That is why everywhere in the world, degrees do 90% class and 10% practicals, while technical diplomas do 90% practicals and 10% class work.

Although due to the twisted nature of the Nigerian educational system, you will see polytechnic students doing 60% classwork, 20% practicals, and 20% argument on how they are better than university graduates.

That is why a mechanical engineering polytechnic student is busy running around, looking for how to solve a strength of materials equation, to prove that he knows "the theory," when he is supposed to be learning turning operations on the lathe machine.
While a mechanical engineering student is running around, looking for how he can learn turning operations on the lathe machine so that he can prove that he knows "the practicals," when he is supposed to be solving strength of materials equations.

That is why the graduate engineer runs around, looking for jobs that should be for the technologists, and the graduate technologists run around looking for jobs that should be for the graduate engineer. The employer now sees that the engineering graduate is not qualified to be a technologist because he is not practical enough, and the technologist graduate is not qualified to be an engineer because he is not theorically grounded enough. Both of them loose the jobs, and become unemployable. Then they blame the government.

Truly a twisted system.

DIVINEEVIDENCE:
This is definitely Nwamaikpe the crazy genius.

Nwaikpe:
At this point, it is clear that the leaders don't know the meaning of education.

If you remove the distinction between a degree and an HND, you then will need to develop another institution that caters to the needed technical skills. And then, those people will face the dichotomy again.

There is nowhere in the world where a technical diploma is equated to a degree or "academic diploma" (as in Germany Austria, Finland, etc.)
The technical diploma was meant to complement the academic diploma (degree).

There is a very important distinction in these two systems: the course credit system.

The course credit system for academic diplomas is based mainly on class (course) hours. While the credit for the diploma is based mainly on lab (practical) hours. That is why everywhere in the world, degrees do 90% class and 10% practicals, while technical diplomas do 90% practicals and 10% class work.

Although due to the twisted nature of the Nigerian educational system, you will see polytechnic students doing 60% classwork, 20% practicals, and 20% argument on how they are better than university graduates.

That is why a mechanical engineering polytechnic student is busy running around, looking for how to solve a strength of materials equation, to prove that he knows "the theory," when he is supposed to be learning turning operations on the lathe machine.
While a mechanical engineering student is running around, looking for how he can learn turning operations on the lathe machine so that he can prove that he knows "the practicals," when he is supposed to be solving strength of materials equations.

That is why the graduate engineer runs around, looking for jobs that should be for the technologists, and the graduate technologists run around looking for jobs that should be for the graduate engineer. The employer now sees that the engineering graduate is not qualified to be a technologist because he is not practical enough, and the technologist graduate is not qualified to be an engineer because he is not theorically grounded enough. Both of them loose the jobs, and become unemployable. Then they blame the government.

Truly a twisted system.