NEEDs Assessment Committee Abolish HND/BSC Disparity

The NEEDS assessment committee, in its report on Nigerian Public Polytechnics and Colleges of Education, submitted to the federal government, recommends the removal of the disparity between Higher National Diploma (HND) and the university first degrees (BSC).

Chairperson of the committee, Mrs. Hindatu Abdullahi, said part of the recommendations was that the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and National Universities Commission (NUC) should develop standards for the award of Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) by the nation's polytechnics. She added that the committee also recommended autonomy for deserving colleges of education to degree-awarding status, as well as increase enrolment of students into their programmes.

“The National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) should ensure that all colleges of education running degree programmes should have not less than 60 per cent Ph.D holders of the total academic staff strength for each of the degree courses; and provision of Centres for Educational Technology, CET, with all the requisite facilities”, Mrs. Abdullahi stated.

Abdullahi informed that the report would assist the government in re-positioning the institutions for effective and efficient teaching, learning research and community services, in line the federal government’s transformation agenda and global best practices.

We hope the federal government implements the recommendations of this committee in no distant time.

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Larry Frank