Stop The Discrimination! HND Is As Good As BSC: Poly Student Tackles Education Minister In Open Letter

Student union a leader thinks the HND/BSC dichotomy in the Nigerian education system has to stop

Nigeria's Supervising Minister, Wike Nyesom, has been accused of making "untimely and diversionary" moves with regards to the lingering Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) strike which has left polytechnic students at home for nearly one calendar year.

Com. Ogbonnaya Sunday, the National President of National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) made the accusation in an open letter to the Minister of Education titled 'A CALL FOR ACTION.'

The Minister had recently set up a committee to review polytechnic curriculum but the student leader says it arouses suspicion coming so late.

"..We think that the committee set up by the Federal Ministry of Education is untimely and diversionary," Ogbonnaya wrote.

"We see no sense in setting up a committee to review the curriculum of a sector that has being on strike for nearly eleven (11) months owing to the inept stand of the Federal Ministry of Education in resolving the ongoing industrial crises in the polytechnic sector," Ogbonnaya wrote.

Ogbonnaya however said the problems facing polytechnics can traced to the regrettable HND/BSC Dichotomy.

"The problems that confront students and graduates of that session are colossal, but all can be traced to one thing – the discrepancy between HND and BSc," the letter read.

Ogbonnaya said the ASUP-FG face-off must be resolved quickly, failing which polytechnic students would take drastic measures to drive home their point.

"We call on Federal Government to resolve the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) strike within a forth night or face the challenge of taking Nigerian students to detention as we are bent on going back to the classroom or staying and sleeping at the gate of the international airport in Abuja."

READ FULL TEXT OF LETTER BELOW:

Barr. Wike Nyesom

Supervising Minister,

Federal Ministry of Education,

Federal Secretariat, Abuja.

Sir,

A CALL FOR ACTION

On behalf of Executive Council of the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS), I bring you our reverential solidarity greetings.

The NAPS is the umbrella body of all Polytechnics, Mono-techniques, Colleges of Technology and other Allied Institutions Awarding National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) across the six geopolitical zones of the Federation and Diaspora.

This Association, which is the second largest student movement in Africa continent, has been in the vanguard of campaign for equity, justice and good governance, free and qualitative education for over two decades. The contribution of our noble association in bringing about our nascent democracy cannot be overemphasized. NAPS is an affiliate of the International Union of Students’ (IUS), All African Students’ Union (AASU), West African Student Union (WASU) and has a consultative working relationship with UNESCO, UNICEF and ECOWAS.

I write to convey the displeasure of Nigerian Students of Higher National Diploma (HND) and Ordinary National Diploma (OND) awarding Institutions. The problems that confront students and graduates of that session are colossal, but all can be traced to one thing – the discrepancy between HND and BSc.

We therefore wish to put it on record that the wishes of these students are as follows:-

ON THE COMMITTEE OF REVIEW OF POLYTECHNIC CURRICULUM

While there is a need for frequent review of curriculum of all education segment to meet up with International standard, best practice and current trend, we think that the committee set up by the Federal Ministry of Education is untimely and diversionary. We see no sense in setting up a committee to review the curriculum of a sector that has being on strike for nearly eleven (11) months owing to the inept stand of the Federal Ministry of Education in resolving the ongoing industrial crises in the polytechnic sector.

We wish to state without equivocation that the duty of reviewing the curriculum should be such that the lecturers and necessary professional bodies are carried along as members of the said committee but that should be after the ASUP crises have been put to a halt.

ON HND/BSC DISCRIMINATION

While we commend the Federal Government for setting up a committee to look into the HND/BSC discrimination, we believe that Government has made a monumental mistake by not including HND holders in the committee setup to look into the matter. It beats our imagination that in a committee setup to solve a problem, those that are affected by the problem will not be part of the committee rather the committee will be made up of those who have always believed that “should HND holders have equal opportunities with the BSc holders, the former will make the later look ordinary”.

Consequently, we demand the immediate inclusion of HND holders in the committee headed by the secretary to the Government of the federation as this is the only way we can have trust and confidence in the committee.

ON ASUP STRIKE

We call on Federal Government to resolve the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) strike within a forth night or face the challenge of taking Nigerian students to detention as we are bent on going back to the classroom or staying and sleeping at the gate of the international airport in Abuja.

Yours in Nation Building,

Com. Ogbonnaya Sunday

National President (NAPS)