RE: University Degree and HND disparity in Nigeria Civil Service
August 17, 2008 by 
Guest Writer
SOS TO THE PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA ALHAJI UMARU MUSA YAR’ADUA
This is to appeal to the President and Commander in Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria , Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to use his good office to implement the much publicized, recently concluded removal of the existing dichotomy in the conditions of appointments/service of the holders of first degree and HND.
It is a thing of regret that two years after the Federal Executive Council’s recommendation of the removal of the undue dichotomy and ceiling on the Salary Grade Level/Rank attainable by Higher National Diploma holders in the Civil Service (ref: Government White Paper on the Report of the Presidential Committee on the Consolidation of Emoluments in the Public Sector, Chapter 6 Section 6.2 of December 2006 pages31/32 ), the implementation strategies and time fixed at “medium term” are yet to materialize till the present moment.
In a nation where people’s aspirations are directed at serving the fatherland with love, strength, faith, heart and might; calling for leaders to be guided right, helping our youth to know the truth; growing in love and honesty , living in just and truth and building a nation where peace and justice reign and where democracy equally guarantees continuity in governance. One begins to wonder whether all the afore-mentioned aspirations as expressed in the national anthem are mere rhetoric rather than virtues to live by. In the Civil Service,’ Servicom’ was launched to enhance efficiency and right service to the clients. Is it not high time that the same level of efficiency and right service manifested in the public service and similar national executive bodies?
Your Excellency Sir, many technical cadre civil servants(HND holders) attained salary grade level 14 step11( the former ceiling for that level) over 10years ago, officers(Degree holders) on level 10 at that time are right now on levels 15 or 16. Affected officers are annually being exempted from promotion interviews to level 15 even though the Federal Executive Council has accepted the recommendation of the removal of the ceiling since 2004. Paragraph one of page 5 of the quoted white paper states that, ‘On 11th June, 2006, the President set up the White Paper Drafting Committee on the Consolidation of Emolument in the Public Sector, to among others , work out a White Paper or better still, detailed programme of implementation of the accepted parts of the Report so as to ensure that substantial implementation begins in 2007 along with substantial implementation of Public Service Reforms and Right Sizing’. A lot of public service reforms including disengagement from service(right sizing) had been implemented whereas the issue of the removal of ceiling placed on HND holders also covered by the same White Paper still remains a no-go area. Is this not a perversion of justice and fairplay?
It is disheartening to state that the HND holders are still being statutorily and financially dehumanized as follow:
1. The period of study to attain HND is a minimum of five years ( 2yrs for OND, 1Yr of Post OND-Internship and 2Yrs for HND) while some of the first degree programmes require only 4Yrs for Courses in Education, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences , Arts etc. It is a fact to recognize that most Polytechnic students meet the minimum entry qualifications for University admission before choosing a career in the Polytechnic.
2. The point of entry into the Civil Service is Salary Grade Level 08 for holders of both qualifications. They undeniably assume the same responsibilities
3. It is a national shame to see some Nigeria Universities quoting the HND as one of the acceptable Entry Qualifications (into Part One of First Degree Programmes) while at the same time same or some others accept the same qualification (with PGD) for their masters programmes. (the NUC needs to revisit this issue). This waste of human resources and retardation of the national technological advancement need to be arrested forthwith. Some universities need to be aware that tertary institutions abroad afford HND holders from this country admission for post-graduate studies without any discrimination.
4. Technical Cadre staff on the so-called ceiling are being paid same salary (i.e. GL 14/11) year-in, year-out, without any annual increment even if they have to stagnate there till retirement decades after and nobody seems to care. More embarrassingly these officers are being paid the same Duty Tour Allowance of N8,500 with their sub-ordinate officers on salary grade level 07. Where are the so called incentives to enhance staff efficiency and productivity? What are the prospects for tertiary Vocational Technical Institutions in Nigeria ? Where is Nigeria ’s technological drive heading to? A lot of Physical structures are presently rotting away in Polytechnics for lack of students while those of Universities are being over-stretched. Some Departments in the Polytechnics are either without Students or their lecturers outnumber the students’ population. Is this country not loosing her focus on Technological Education? This country has to borrow a leaf from a country like Japan whose philosophy and objective of education is, ‘aggressive survival technology and effective use of adapted technology’.
Right now some Federal Ministries and Parastatals are gathering data for the next promotion exercise but the technical cadres on SGL 14 are completely excluded for the reason that the afore-mentioned white paper does carry with it ‘any directive’ to implement. What other directive is required, going by the Pages 5, 31 and 32 of the quoted White Paper?
Your Excellency, Mr. President, I wish to appeal once again that you use your enviable, and honourable office to save the affected officers the psychological trauma of the predicament they find themselves.
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Long live Mr. President.
| 2.5 |
FG should do something about the HND and the BSC issues because it is not fair the way they handling this matter let them setle it once and for all.
Polytechnic should be converted into University on different body
It is so bad that bsc is consider more important than HND in Nigeria labour market. I think the employer are just being selfcentered nd inhuman to the HND graduate. The HND graduate fits-in in the industries with little or no training by the industries because they have the fundamental knowledge and are use to practicals while the Bsc graduates are epitome of graduates without technical know how and requires much training that he may find stressful because he’s not use to such practical learning,thereby making them not very productive in the technical sector which is the paramount part of an industry and the country at large.Both HND and BSC have their various important roles to play at different sections of a company and should be given equal opportunity
HND Holders’ Prospects At Stake: Federal Executive Council and FCSC, pls, intervene
The Government White Paper on the Report of the Presidential Committee on the
Consolidation of Emoluments in the Public Sector (December 2006)
revealed that the Federal Government of Nigeria accepted among others
things, the recommendation for the removal of the dichotomy and ceiling on the Salary
Grade level/Rank attainable by the HND holders in the Civil service.(Chapter 6 Section
6.2 Page 31) and the Implementation Strategies and Time Frame fixed at, “ Medium
Term” (Page 32).
The report was specifically drafted so as to ensure that substantial implementation of the
recommendation of an earlier presidential committee begins in 2007 along with
substantial implementation of the Public Service Reforms and Right-Sizing.
It is quite glaring that some of the Public Service Reforms covered in chapter 6 Section
6.2 of the White Paper including disengagement of staff from service and particularly
the phasing out of Salary Grade levels 01-05 had been implemented whereas the issue of
the removal of the ceiling placed on HND holders also covered in the same chapter still
remains un-implemented for “lack of official directive”. Perpectually stalled on
G.L.14/11, and without any annual increment, these officers are entitled to the same DTA
as fresh GL.07 officers.. Where are the so called incentives to enhance staff efficiency
and productivity?
The Federal Executive Council should please intervene to ensure the prompt
implementation of the provision of the white paper.
Salawu, Isiaka Adebayo
salawuisiakaa@yahoo.co.uk
Federal govt should pls remove this barier in HND and degree, if u check many poly graduate can perform more than
University so fed Govt should pls do some thing b/cos is causing problem thanks
Polytechnics and NBTE themselves are the reason why HND holders are being discriminated everywhere in Nigeria. Imagine a situation whereby the polytechnics discriminate against HND holders during employment of academic lecturers. They employ Bsc graduates as Asst. Lecturers and HND holders as Instructors, in the same school where the HND holders were trained. It pains me when ever i see that happens. Charity begins at home.
Federal Govt should implement that decision taken immediate if we want the principle of equality in our society. But then, if not let govt scrap Polytechnic Education completely so to see where technicians can be found. Nigerians, do we know that those engineers we import some are with Diploma? Please let us face the reality.
Federal Govt should remove the different between HND and Degree because the decision has been taken, why is delay for? Our President please help to approve the decision
Even polytechnics discriminate against HND holders. They prefer to employ Bsc graduates to teach polytechnic students.
How can every body be of same level? is the mojor problems between the B.sc and H.n.d. Then the labour market concluded it all by rating the H.n.d holders’ inferious and even prefer to employs the B. sc.
Are the University graduate better than the Polytechnic graduate? Are they ore yrs than the polytechnic or can the university produced all type knowledges we needs as a country today? Are we still one nigerians?
It is only God and the government can help the H.n.d holders’ out
ARE THE UNIVERSITY GRADUATE BETTER THAN THE POLYTECHNIC GRADUATE? ARE THEY USES MORE YRS TO OBTAIN THEIR DEGREE THAN POLYTECHNIC DOES? CAN THE UNIVERSITY PRODUCED ALL TYPES OF KNOWLEGDES WE NEEDS AS A COUNTRY TO DEVELOP OUR ECONOMY TODAY? THE LABOUR MARKETS AND GOVERNMEMET SHOULD BE GUIDED!
MAY GOD OUR H.N.D HOLDERS’ TO ACHIEVED THEIR DREAM GOALS. DISPARITY NIGERIANS AND THE LABOUR MARKET………………………………………… IS NOT THE SOLUTION FOR BETTER TOMORROW.
The only way out to stop this discrmination is our government should award the B.TECH to the HND holder which is equivalent to B.SC.that is the only way.
One of the major problems with Nigerian education is still the failure to match forward, preferring the old colonial ways of doing things, even when those colonial countries have since changed their ideologies. Nigerians should rise up to embrace the 21st. century education and training. There is today no more greater emphasis on the qualifications you have than the skills to do the job. What matters is truly your ability and skill to do the job. There is therefore no need for differentiated or pegged salary structure. People must be encouraged to learn and aspire through the job, and by this, equality of opportunity and competitive drive is entrenched into the civil service, hence people become productive in what they do, this is not the case with the current civil service.
No set of qualification aught to be discriminated upon; be it HND, BSc or even the HSC/A/Level GCE. In order words, there should be no discrimination between qualifications and your pay packet. It seems that, only in Nigeria can one still see this sort of draconic policy being practiced. In more advanced world, HND, BSc, BA,Bs, Btech holders are viewed as graduates. Those HND holders who wish to have BSc are given only one year to do that while those who wish to do Masters are equally given the freeway to carry on with their masters etc. Why then is this two way match to productivity. Nigerians wake up; for dichotomy, victimization, segregation etc does not augur well in a comparable competitive world such as Nigeria.
Changing the award from HND to B.Tech is not really the issue, Nigeria Goverment should recognise all Polytechnic Graduate as potential Graduate like the BSC holders and grant them all necessary previleges both at the private and public sector of the Economy. They should advance to GL 17 in the Civil Service employment. HND graduate should also be allowed to go in for their Master programme at any level without any delay. I believe this will stop this discrimination issue once all for all.
The entire situation is indeed disheartening really. However, we must not be rash, as if a situation of this nature must be corrected; it needs a lot of diplomacy and patience. Most people would admit that the university learning environment if more often than not, extra-challenging than its Polytechnic counter part which makes it (in Nigeria) produce averagely better products than the latter. Nonetheless, I have met a lot of geniuses, who though graduated from Polytechnics, have through personal development and augmentation, made themselves tough competitors in the market. The Manpower employers on their part should note that the place of practical adequacy and dexterity can not be overemphasized. Polytechnic Graduates should be given equal opportunities to write tests and appear before the interview panel, resultantly proving their worth. This is the only way out for now. I would have said that the government should also better still, scrap the polytechnics, but if that is done where are the Universities that will admit all Secondary School leavers? Is it all willing students that can afford University education? Let us be rational.
Yes! its not fair for the private and public companies in terms of getting jobs to be discriminating HND from BSc and in placing them in the better position which they ought to be, thereby displaying their skills on works which they are being trained in school for. some degree holders do not have enough knowledge i.e technical -know-how as the Diploma does. This should be considerably looked into.