One of the issues that may arise from this proposal is
whether the NBTE will not be usurping the powers and functions of the National
Universities Commission (NUC), which ordinarily can undermine the proposal’s
credibility. Also, why foreign accredited universities, when there are
universities in the country that can conveniently undertake the functions; and
at what cost, given that most of the candidates sought to be upgraded can
hardly afford the N650,000 being suggested for the programme? Furthermore, what
role should the 10th National Assembly, in particular the House Committee on
Education, play in this matter?
According to media reports, the Executive Secretary of the
NBTE, Professor Idris Bugaje explained that to kick-start the programme, NBTE
uploaded contents of accredited HND programmes into a software, to enable it to
pick B.Sc. contents of corresponding universities outside Nigeria, match them
and find the gaps between the two. This, Professor Bugaje referred to as “…
credit mapping, which will now bring out those specific courses that would
require one to meet up with university degree holders.”
Bugaje further
explained that this arrangement is being made so that HND holders are not left
behind in terms of progression. This development of ‘top-up’ will seem to be an
addition to other attempts in the works aimed at addressing the dichotomy
between university degree and HND holders in Nigeria? For instance, to restore
parity, the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Interior, in 2017,
mandated that entry levels for both degree and HND holders should be grade
level 8, particularly in all the paramilitary services.
Notwithstanding, HND holders cannot rise beyond level 14 or
15, without obtaining additional qualifications, such as Masters degree, while
a degree holder can rise to level 17, which is equivalent to the Permanent
Secretary cadre.
Again, to address this issue, the National Assembly, in
2021, passed the “Bill for an Act to abolish and prohibit dichotomy and
discrimination between degree and HND holders in the same profession for the
purpose of employment, and for related matters. However, despite repeated
appeals by stakeholders, the former president failed to assent to the bill
before his exit on May 29 this year.
It is worrisome that NBTE is shifting from its mandate to
that of the National Universities Commission (NUC), which is responsible for
university education in Nigeria. Why would NBTE be interfacing with a foreign
university on university education for Nigerians? This appears absurd! Again,
why run the programme with an India-based institution, Mewar International
University, which has a branch in Nasarawa State; when several Nigerian
universities, including Kwara State University, Ilorin; Bells University, Ota;
Federal University, Oye Ekiti; Delta State University; Ajayi Crowther
University, Oyo; Lagos State University, Ojo; and Babcock University, Ilishan
run top-up programmes?
Furthermore, it is
important to be economically realistic while searching for a solution to the
dichotomy between university degree and HND holders in Nigeria. For instance,
based on the fact that the application fee for the Mewar International
University ‘top-up’ programme is N50,000, while the school fees starts from
N650,000 depending on the course of study, it is obvious that the cost is high
for prospective students having regard to the country’s economic realities.
Hence, it is misplaced to engage a foreign institution to run the ‘top-up’
programme.
Also, the attempt at floating a ‘top-up’ may be
counter-productive as it appears to foreclose the push for presidential assent
to the “bill for an Act to abolish and prohibit dichotomy and discrimination
between degree and HND holders’, which may demoralise many HND holders.
The attempt to blur the BSc/HND dichotomy is placing undue
emphasis on credentialism at the expense of competence, performance and
productivity on the job; and without recognising that HND holders are meant to
fill the middle level manpower and technical needs of the country, which is
part of the reasons for the establishment of polytechnics. So, the niche for
polytechnic education is technological and technical manpower development,
underlined by the running of Ordinary National Diploma (OND) certification.
It is equally important to note that entry qualifications
into the universities and polytechnics are different, signifying that it is by
choice that some opted to study in the universities rather than polytechnics or
vice versa. The country’s concern should therefore be how to attain
technological breakthroughs and produce innovators and technology giants like
Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg.
Nigeria and Nigerians should place emphasis on competence,
performance and delivery of quality service; and make them the determinants for
career progression instead of tying it to credentials. Private and public
sector employers should not cap the career progression of HND holders or tie
job retention to certificate; rather these should be tied to experience,
competence and capacity. The use of certificates as a basis for career
progression and job retention is reiterating meritocracy not mediocrity. Therefore, employers should be keen about
people who can do the job instead of ‘credentialism.’
In more developed countries, there is no discrimination
against holders of both certificates. Policy change is imperative to position
polytechnic graduates towards competitive self-fulfillment along with their
university counterparts, and this should be the priority of NBTE!
Hence, it is important to be focused as a nation and be more
strategic, coordinated and methodical; not rudderless in the search for
solution for the dichotomy between university degree and HND holders because
polytechnic graduates do not need a ’top-up’ programme to compete on the job.
So, this 10th National Assembly, particularly the House
Committee on Education should rise to the occasion to raise innovative and
creative citizens that would turn around various sectors instead of focusing
our energies on ‘certification’ at the tertiary level of education. The NBTE
and NUC should be made to stay within their mandates.
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