The Federal Government has announced plans to abolish the long-standing Higher National Diploma (HND) dichotomy by empowering polytechnics to award degrees, in a move aimed at repositioning technical and vocational education as a key driver of national development. The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja while addressing a high-level retreat of council chairmen, commissioners of education, rectors, registrars and bursars.
Describing the initiative as a landmark policy shift, Alausa said the reform would end decades of discrimination against polytechnic graduates and elevate polytechnics into centres of excellence within Nigeria’s higher education system. He explained that the policy would strengthen polytechnic education while preserving its core emphasis on hands-on, industry-oriented training, noting that Nigeria’s future competitiveness depends on a workforce capable of solving real-world problems.
The minister said the reform aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritises job creation, industrial growth and human capital development. He added that degree-awarding status would enable polytechnics to attract stronger industry partnerships, improved funding and greater public confidence, assuring stakeholders that the transition would be guided by clear standards, strong regulation and robust quality assurance mechanisms to ensure global competitiveness.