Finally, Reps vows to eliminate HND, Degree dichotomy, other issues

The House of Representatives Committee on Federal Polytechnics and Higher Technical Education, has given assurance that the lingering dichotomy issue between University degree and Higher National Diploma (HND) in status and employment in Nigeria will be eliminated soon.

Chairman of the Committee, Fuad Kayode Laguda gave the assurance during an an engagement engagement with Rectors of the Federal Polytechnic Shendam, Plateau State, and the Federal Polytechnic, Wannune, Benue State.

According to him, there are a number of proposed Bills to address the various challenges facing polytechnics in the country which he said were aimed at strengthening them to provide the needed professional and technical expertise to Nigeria’s quest for development.

“As we approach the 2025 budget year that’s coming next, we need to actually see to the performance of current year, previous years, to ascertain and to know to what level we will be doing future work, and to also understand what your individual challenges are in your institutions and what you will require to move on”, Laguda told the Rectors.

Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Shendam, Dr Mikaila Zakari Yau in his presentation said the institution is still struggling to stay afloat since establishment in 2021, as it took off without a temporary site but from a primary school building in the community.

“We are just giving a bush like this, donated by the state government as a start-up”, he said, adding that only two billion naira was given it by TetFund as take-off grant, part of which was used to buy a water tanker because there wax no water in the school, renovation of the primary school and other projects for the takeoff of the institution.

On his part, the Rector of Federal Polytechnic, Wannune, Dr Tyover Ashinya said the school also started in 2021 and was the last six polytechnics that were established during the second tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari. “When the school came on board, we were given, as usual, there was a take-off grant. And if you go there now, we judiciously use the take-off grant for administrative block, academic block, classrooms, offices”, he said, adding that the institution have been able to get almost 1,000 students.