HND OR B.S.C DISCRIMINATION IN NIGERIA
Each time I meet those University graduates who discriminate the HND, I'm always surprised all because I don't know why they feel threatened. What they stand to loose or gain from degrading the HND.
If you examine this whole issue, you will realise its partly due to failure on the part of government as regards their policies and on the other hand misplaced priority on the part of the University system regulators/administrators/graduates.
We all know our University system lack innovations, presently the percentage of implementable research from our Universities is close to zero. The so called scientist and engineers can't design or create new things, an indication that the system is fast failing. The polytechnic on the other hand who produce technical graduate though not well equipped to the optimum level in terms of practicals and equally underfunded still produce more relevant product who are to some extent more technically inclined. We all know the importance of technical education in a growing economy like ours. Discriminate the Polytechnic graduate anyhow you like, they are still the engine room that drives the economy when it comes to technical workforce.
Furthermore, because the so called institution who produces students with universal knowledge, researchers who should discover and invent new product and ideas, engineers who are to design new products is also underfunded and lack innovations/standards, her graduates resulted to blackmailing the polytechnic products who obviously performs better because they perfectly fit into the middle level manpower they are trained for and our present level of development has little opportunities for researchers (not to forget chaep pay the ND/HND accept as against their university counterpart). The University system in Nigeria has since failed in its main purpose and since their products can't function or fit in properly into their role, they are forced to take up roles of the polytechnic graduate who is trained for middle level manpower as they claim hence, the competition... they suddenly discover the technical graduates are better. Today graduate engineer cannot design, they are left with no choice than to hustle technitian position to make ends meet in our little industries and too bad they still want to be the boss with near zero technical knowledge.
why all these epistles? The discrimination is as a result of hatred, envy, lack of innovation/opportunity which has forced university graduates justle for the limited openings and failure on the part of the government. Nigeria is a sinking ship, so many things you'll imagine how its been done. Only reasonable people like Prof. W Soyinka will see the madness.
Here is my analysis, all over the world the minimum number of credit unit to award a degree is 120. Before anyone in Nigeria will graduate with HND, he/she must have accumulated over 150 credit unit. The HND require 5 years before graduation as against 4 years for some B. Sc courses, yet people still blindly say its not equivalent to a degree. World Educational Services (WES) an international credential evaluation body has evaluated lots of HND results and found them equivalent to a US bachelor's degree and today, a lot of HND graduates are undergoing or have graduated from their masters programme in the US...they all gained admission with the Nigerian HND but we all know what is obtainable here... polytechnic graduates even with distinction will still have to enrol for PGD before masters, what happened to our common sense? These same hypocrites who said you can't enrol for an academic masters with your HND will admit HND for professional masters without PGD since its a terminal programme and due to the fact that they don't want the rubbished HND product to have an academic masters and PhD. why the hate?
On a final note, I see the two certificate as two rotten apple. A lot still need to be done on our educational system which lack standard. HND or B.Sc, both products should be given equal opportunity to prove their worth. Our judgement should be based on individual capabilities and not certificate. Scrapping the HND and changing all polytechnic to universities will not help our economy as a developing nation as we are still in serious need of technical education.
The recent media sprout pertaining to the long lasted discrimination between holders of Bsc and Hnd degrees have successfully passed through to the second reading in the House Of Assembly.
However, the nobel Laurette; Professor Wole Soyinka was invited to Channels TV to share his opinion on the aforesaid issue. And he gave clarification on the matter by saying the Government is the root cause of the discrimination sprouting across all industries.
"Basically, looking at this, one would agree the cut off marks for these institutions are clearly not the same. But who sets these cut off marks? What would it cost the Government to ensure the appropriate bodies charged with the sole responsibility of setting the yardsticks into these institutions; get to review the measures.
These are pertinent things we shy away from. I can tell you I have been across products from both institutions and you should know they both produce quacks and good products. So its a question of individual development to an extent. But as regards the nomenclature of the divide. Most people claim, perhaps if the Government can put in facilities to upgrade the polytechincs, maybe they can measure up. But that is pure rubbish.
When was the last time facilities were installed in universities across the nation? All these rants need to stop, because its like planting a seed of enmity among these two categories of students.
When reliance is totally placed on a government on issues like this, the society fails to move forward. I personally think its high time students across both divides started looking forward to what they can do for themselves as individuals than what some certificate can do for you.
Geniuses are made and not born, but apparently, we have a government that isn't ready to scrutinize the frustrations being caused by the educational sector to these children at the early stage. When I pass Jamb a couple of times but refused admission several times at the university just because I didn't make them both my first choice and second choice, won't I opt for a polytechnic. Or must I keep trying till I wield grey hair? We need to think deep about these things.
The government has really neglected its checks and balances on that. A BSC holder and an Hnd holder should be equal given that they were both able to squarely take-on whatever that was thrown at them during their cause of study."
culled from nairaland
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