THE Nigerian Senate has passed a bill seeking to prohibit discrimination between bachelor’s degree and Higher National Diploma (HND) holders in the country.
The bill was passed following the consideration and adoption of the report by the Joint Committee on Establishment and Public Service Matters, and Tertiary Institutions and Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) on Tuesday.
Chairman of the Committee Ibrahim Shekarau, while presenting the report, said that the bill would free holders of HND from stagnation and ensure balanced treatment with their counterparts from other higher tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
According to him, the abolishment of the existing dichotomy between HND holders and graduates of universities would meet the huge manpower needs of Nigerians, ensure social justice and enhance corporate governance, while encouraging patriotic contributions amongst HND employees in both public and private sectors.
In his remarks after the passage of the bill, Senate President Ahmad Lawan emphasised that the passage of the bill would serve as motivation for polytechnic graduates.
He, therefore, called on the public and private sectors to ensure the implementation of the bill’s provisions as soon as it was signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“This particular issue has been in the front burner for a long time. I recall that in the House of Representatives between 2003 and 2007, this was one bill that was so important, and is one way of encouraging our polytechnic graduates,” Lawan said.
“That should not take away from the kind of training they receive, but, in fact, it is supposed to be a motivation for our polytechnic graduates.
“[And] I pray that the Federal Government and all those government agencies and the private sector would start to implement this by the time the president assents to this bill.”
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