Abuja — The Federal Government has announced plans to abolish the long-standing Higher National Diploma (HND)–degree dichotomy by empowering Nigerian polytechnics to award bachelor’s degrees, in a major reform aimed at strengthening technical and vocational education.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja while addressing a high-level retreat involving council chairmen, commissioners of education, rectors, registrars and bursars of tertiary institutions.
Describing the initiative as a landmark policy shift, the minister said the reform is designed to end decades of discrimination against polytechnic graduates and reposition polytechnics as centres of excellence within Nigeria’s higher education system.
“For too long, graduates of polytechnics have suffered systemic disadvantage despite their strong technical competence,” Alausa said. “This reform will eliminate the HND–degree dichotomy and give polytechnic education the recognition it deserves.”
According to the minister, the new policy will place polytechnic education on a stronger institutional footing, while preserving its core mandate of hands-on, industry-oriented training that supports national productivity and innovation.
He added that the move aligns with the government’s broader agenda to make technical and vocational education a key driver of economic growth, job creation and industrial development.
Education stakeholders at the retreat welcomed the announcement, noting that the reform could boost enrolment in polytechnics, improve graduate employability, and address skills gaps across critical sectors of the economy
