President Bola Tinubu’s administration has announced a major reform in Nigeria’s tertiary education system, signalling plans to scrap the Higher National Diploma (HND) and empower polytechnics to award degrees.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed the policy shift on Wednesday in Abuja during a high-level retreat attended by council chairmen, rectors and other key education stakeholders.
Alausa said the move is aimed at ending decades of discrimination and career limitations faced by polytechnic graduates due to the long-standing dichotomy between HND holders and university degree graduates.
According to him, the reform will reposition polytechnics as centres of excellence and equal partners with universities in national development, rather than being viewed as inferior institutions.
“Nigeria’s future depends on a workforce that can create, build and solve real-world problems,” the minister said, noting that this practical strength of the polytechnic system would be further enhanced by granting degree-awarding status.
He assured stakeholders that strict regulatory frameworks and robust quality assurance mechanisms would be put in place to ensure that degrees awarded by polytechnics meet both national and global standards.
Beyond academic reforms, Alausa warned polytechnic administrators against corruption, stressing that transparency, accountability and zero tolerance for financial misconduct must guide the management of the institutions.
He also announced a special intervention by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to upgrade engineering schools in polytechnics with modern, state-of-the-art equipment.
While acknowledging challenges such as outdated infrastructure and persistent societal bias against technical education, the minister urged polytechnic leaders to embrace innovation, particularly in areas like renewable energy, digital manufacturing and applied technology.
“The future of our youth, our economy and our nation depends on the transformation we ignite here today,” Alausa said.
The policy shift comes amid long-standing agitation by education stakeholders and the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) for reforms to end discrimination against HND holders, including calls for the passage of the Higher National Diploma Discrimination (Prohibition) Bill.
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