Finally, FG Ends HND, Authorises Polytechnics To Award Degrees
The Federal Government has announced plans to scrap the Higher National Diploma (HND) and empower polytechnics to award degrees, in a major policy shift aimed at ending decades of discrimination against polytechnic graduates.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja during a high-level retreat involving council chairmen, rectors and other key stakeholders in the polytechnic education sector.
Dr. Alausa said the policy is designed to abolish the long-standing dichotomy between HND holders and university degree graduates, a practice he noted has continued to hinder career progression and professional recognition of technically trained graduates in Nigeria.
According to him, the reform will reposition polytechnics as centres of excellence and equal partners with universities in national development. He stressed that polytechnics should no longer be perceived as inferior institutions but as critical drivers of innovation, industrial growth and problem-solving.
“The future of Nigeria depends on a workforce that can create, build and solve real-world problems. This is the core strength of the polytechnic system, which we are now strengthening by granting degree-awarding status,” the minister said.
Dr. Alausa assured stakeholders that strict regulatory frameworks and quality assurance mechanisms would be put in place to ensure that degrees awarded by polytechnics meet global academic and professional standards.
Beyond academic reforms, he warned polytechnic administrators against corruption, emphasizing that transparency, accountability and zero tolerance for financial misconduct must guide the management of the institutions.
He also announced a special intervention by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to upgrade engineering schools in polytechnics with modern, state-of-the-art equipment, as part of efforts to strengthen technical capacity and practical training.
While acknowledging challenges such as outdated infrastructure and persistent societal bias against technical education, the minister urged polytechnic leaders to serve as agents of change by embracing innovation in key growth sectors, including renewable energy, digital manufacturing and applied technology.
“The future of our youth, our economy and our nation depends on the transformation we ignite here today,” he added.
The move comes amid long-standing agitation by education stakeholders and the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) for the passage of the Higher National Diploma Discrimination (Prohibition) Bill, which seeks to end institutional bias against HND holders.
