The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has provided an update on its new online one-year top-up programme for Higher National Diploma (HND) holders seeking to convert to a Bachelor‘s Degree.
According to the Board, the conversion is solely for HND holders who want to pursue an academic career.
Nyscinfo reports on August 14 that the NBTE has provided assistance to Higher National Diploma (HND) graduates who seek to transfer their certificates to Bachelor’s Degrees.
According to information obtained by this platform through its new one-year top-up program with overseas approved colleges, the board has offered HND to BSc conversion.
Mrs. Fatima Abubakar, the Board’s Head of Media Unit, made the new development public in Abuja via a statement made accessible to the press.
According to her, the board’s failure to obtain legal support for a proposed direct master’s program for affected HND holders forced it to look for ways to improve HND holders in the country because they are vital to Nigeria’s industrialization and delivery.
Other issues that HND holders encounter, according to Abubakar, include that many polytechnic HND graduates are not mobilized for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
However, on Tuesday in Abuja, the NBTE Head of Media Unit, Hajiya Fatima Abubakar, provided further clarity on the program.
According to Abubakar, the board’s Chief Executive, Prof. Idris Bugaje, explained that the program is not for all HND holders, but rather for individuals who want to advance their careers in academic settings such as teaching and research in Polytechnics or Universities.
He said,” This top-up is an alternative to the Postgraduate Diploma (PGD) offered by Nigerian Universities.
”In a democracy such as ours, HND holders should be allowed to make a choice between PGD and the top-up to BSc.”
Speaking further, the NBTE boss revealed that the explanation came as a result of media misunderstandings about the scheme.
He stated that the top-up does not mean the end of HND programs in Polytechnics, but rather gives HND holders the option of pursuing an academic career.
”The choice of starting it with foreign universities is to show its universal acceptability perchance the Nigerian universities may eventually buy into it in due course.
”The cost is reasonable, just about 10 per cent of what regular face-to-face students pay.
”NBTE has come up with the programme to enable interested Polytechnic HND holders to be at par with their counterparts with Bachelor’s degree holders.
”And make it easy for them to go for their Master’s and Doctorate degrees for those interested in pursuing their career in academics,” he said.
Bugaje stated during the program’s unveiling earlier this month that the scheme will alleviate the pain of HND holders in the country.
He said,” Presently, there are many PhD holders who academically progressed with HND through the PGD coming back to enrol for BSc (after their PhD) in Nigerian universities, a very retrogressive step indeed.
“The HND qualification in itself represents something unique, and this top-up shall be an encouragement for candidates to apply for polytechnic education since there is a pathway for progression into academics.
”This will never dilute the essence of technical education but rather enhance it.”