We must maintain BSc/HND dichotomy

Currently, there is a bill in the National Assembly to bring HND on a par with BSc. This is wrong and uncalled for. Polytechnics all over the world are established to provide middle manpower requirements of industries and factories etc even though few are upgraded to universities. With their training after graduation, HND holders just […]

Currently, there is a bill in the National Assembly to bring HND on a par with BSc. This is wrong and uncalled for. Polytechnics all over the world are established to provide middle manpower requirements of industries and factories etc even though few are upgraded to universities.

With their training after graduation, HND holders just go to industries and factories to work without further training. Typically, we have OND with duration of 2 1/2  to three years, followed by two years in the field, then two years of HND.

In the previous arrangement, after secondary school education, one would go for Higher School Certificate (HSC) for two years and three years for B.Sc. At that time, only someone with a very good HND grade was admitted into the university with a one-year exemption to do a B.Sc/B.Eng. With the introduction of 6:6:4 in Nigeria as is the case in the U.S.A., B.Sc students in Engineering must study: English Communication, Speech, Chemistry,

Economics, Computer Science, Engineering Physics I & II, Biology, Fluid Mechanics, Dynamics, Thermodynamics, Statistics, Calculus I, II & III and Series and Differential Equations before moving to Engineering branches, ie Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, Agricultural, Nuclear, etc. With these subjects, one can comfortably do scientific research and design without much problem. Which Polytechnic in Nigeria is offering such courses? So, there is no point in even considering such a bill. I urge Mr President not to sign the bill into law. That will definitely distort the whole system of higher education in Engineering/Technical in the country.

Mohammed Abubakar  07050978852