The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics has said it is in support of the National Board for Technical Education’s online top-up programme for Higher National Diploma holders to convert their certification to Bachelor’s Degree through online top-up for one year, with foreign accredited universities.
Although National President, ASUP, Anderson Ezeibe, confirmed that the NBTE decision validated the union’s position that the HND vs Degree dichotomy was demarcating Nigerian Polytechnics.
Recall that the NBTE board disclosed this in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Monday by its Head of Media Unit, Mrs Fatima Abubakar.
Abubakar said this was also to facilitate the progression of HND holders to higher degrees
She said, “Attempts in the past to get the National Universities Commission to approve a two-year Master of Technology for HND holders in some polytechnics did not see the light of the day.
“Many times, HND Holders are forced to go for a one-year Postgraduate Diploma before they could be admitted into the Master’s Program in Universities.”
”To end this unwarranted prejudice, NBTE has now created this progression pathway for HND holders.”