National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has hit back at the National Universities Commission (NUC) over the Commission’s opposition to recent introduction of the one-year top-up programme for graduates of Polytechnics to convert their Higher National Diploma (HND) to Bachelor’s degree certificates.

Executive Secretary of NBTE, Professor Idris Bugaje, in a statement on Monday expressed the Board’s dissatisfaction with NUC’s stance on its conversion policy in a letter to the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, in response to questions bordering on the newly initiated HND Top-Up Program using offshore credit transfer admission.

Recalled that NUC had in a statement during the weekend, objected to the plan by NBTE to introduce degree conversion programmes for HND graduates of Nigerian Polytechnics, as that was not within his purview.

Acting Executive Secretary, Chris Maiyaki, had told NBTE that the Commission is the only constitutionally empowered regulatory agency for university education in Nigeria.

However, NBTE spokesperson, Fatima Abubakar, in response to NUC’s position on Monday morning, quoted Prof. Bugaje saying that only the Federal Ministry Education (FME) Division of Evaluation and Accreditation has the power to assess the foreign degrees after the students have graduated and may seek the same.

Abubakar commended products of Nigerian Polytechnics and advised NUC against further discrimination against HND graduates.

The NBTE letter to the Minister reads in part, “I write to update you on the media response last week of the National Universities Commission of Nigeria to an NBTE-initiated progression for HND holders through the Top-Up program in foreign (offshore) accredited universities.

“Only the FME Division of Evaluation and Accreditation has the power to assess the foreign degrees after the students have graduated and may seek that.

“NBTE only provides HND Curricula content for credit mapping and eventual credit transfer admissions. The admissions are made by foreign universities, and their Senates make awards of degrees, not NBTE. In fact, the entire process is designed to operate seamlessly without NBTE.

“NBTE also has no financial benefit in the whole exercise, though we requested low tuition of a maximum of about 10% of regular fees since course delivery is online,”

“Online programmes are today a globally accepted mode of Education delivery, especially in the 21st Century. Nigerian educational policy has accommodated that with an Open University approved by the Federal Government and NBTE-approved Open Distance Flexible and e-learning Centres being operated by 36 Polytechnics at the moment, and the number is growing.

“Nigerian HNDs are much respected globally. Many European countries give them direct admissions for Masters. Last year, a shining example was Miss Islamiyat Ojelade, HND Distinction in Science Lab Technology (Biochemistry) graduate from the Federal Polytechnic Ilaro, who last year received PhD admissions and Scholarships from seven top US Universities without the BSc. and not even MSc.

“Let us, therefore, start respecting our HNDs here at home and stop this discrimination by NUC and others with this mindset.”