The House of Representatives has taken a significant step toward eliminating the long-standing disparity between Bachelor’s and Higher National Diploma (HND) qualifications.
Naijaonpoint reports that on Tuesday, lawmakers passed for a second reading a bill aimed at amending the Federal Polytechnics Act, allowing polytechnics to confer Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) degrees instead of HNDs and raising the qualification bar for appointing Rectors.
The bill is spearheaded by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen and Fuad Laguda, Chairman of the House Committee on Federal Polytechnics and Higher Technical Education.
If enacted, it will resolve the long-debated BSc/HND disparity while also setting higher academic standards for those leading polytechnics.
Leading the discussion on the proposed amendment, Laguda described the Federal Polytechnics Act as a legal framework for establishing polytechnics across Nigeria, ensuring they provide full-time education in technology, applied sciences, management, and other fields.
He noted that in 2019, the Act was modified to extend the retirement age of polytechnic staff and standardise the tenure of Rectors and other key officers.
According to Laguda, the current amendment aims to modernise the Act in line with global best practices.
He stated, “This Bill seeks to review and enlarge the membership of the Council with the inclusion of representatives of technical institutional bodies like NBTE and Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), enlarge the scope of functions of Federal Polytechnics in Nigeria with a clearer and result-oriented administrative structure.”
One of the key provisions of the bill, outlined in Clause 2, is the expansion of the governing council of each polytechnic to include representatives from the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN).
Additionally, Clause 3 proposes raising the academic qualifications required for candidates vying for the position of Rector in federal polytechnics.
Clause 4 of the amendment seeks to enhance the authority of the Academic Board, granting it the power to confer Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) degrees.
Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, the bill’s primary sponsor, emphasised that the initiative originates from the National Board for Technical Education as part of broader efforts to end the distinction between BSc and HND qualifications.
He explained that the proposed law would replace HNDs with B.Tech degrees in polytechnics and mandate that future Rectors hold a minimum of a PhD.
However, he clarified that the reform would not affect the issuance of Ordinary National Diplomas (ONDs), which would remain in place to cater to lower-level manpower needs.