The Senate has passed a bill that seeks to end the discrimination between First Degree graduates from Universities and Higher National Diploma (HND) holders from polytechnics in Nigeria.
The bill was passed on Wednesday after its third reading.
According to The Nation, the bill passage came after the report of the Senate Joint Committee on Establishment and Public Service Matters; and Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND.
Giving the report, the chairman of the Joint Committee, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau said: “The enactment of the bill to abolish and prohibit discrimination between First Degrees and Higher National Diploma for employment in Nigeria will no doubt freeholders of HND from stagnation and ensure balanced treatment with their counterparts from other higher tertiary institutions in Nigeria.”
Shekarau emphasised that the abolishment of the dichotomy between HND holders and graduates of Universities would end the manpower needs of Nigerians. He added that it will serve as social justice and enhanced corporate governance as well as encourage patriotic contributions amongst HND employees in both public and private sectors.
Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, in his contribution, said the bill would serve as motivation for polytechnic graduates.
He also called on the public and private sectors to ensure the implementation of the bill provisions as soon as it is signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“This particular issue has been on 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.
“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.
“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.”
The sponsor of the bill, Senator Patrick Ayo Akinyelure, intends to resolve the lingering controversy, discrimination and wage and entry-level disparity against HND holder in the public and private sectors of the economy.
It also seeks to promote Nigeria’s technological advancement by encouraging many qualified candidates to pursue polytechnic and technological studies.
It could be recalled that in his lead debate during the second reading of the Bill, Senator Akinyelure had insisted that discrimination against HND holders could ruin the nation’s core policy thrust of evolving a technological and scientifically based society.
He also added that research has proved that some polytechnic graduates were in some cases better on the field than their university counterparts.
“A government employment policy that places degree holders ahead of HND holders without recourse to skill and ability of the HND holder thereof does more harm than good to the nation’s development plans,” Akinyelure had said.
Source: The Nation