The National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS), the umbrella body of over 2 million students in the polytechnic tertiary education sector, yesterday, appealed to President Ahmed Tinubu to append his signature to the Bill for an Act to Abolish and Prohibit Dichotomy and Discrimination between Degree and Higher National Diploma (HND).
To create more awareness, NAPS would stage rallies in Lagos State and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, reports Saturday Independent.
The Lagos rally is scheduled for March 29, 2024 at the Allen Roundabout in Ikeja while the Abuja rally is scheduled for April 19 at the Eagles Square from 8 in the morning.
Recall the National Assembly in 2021 passed the “Bill for an Act to Abolish and Prohibit Dichotomy and Discrimination between First Degree and Higher National Diploma in the Same Profession/Field for Employment; and for Related Matters,” and had presented it to President Buhari for assent before it can become a law.
The bill seeks to legislate the discrimination of polytechnic graduates from their university counterparts in employment and promotion in the workplace.
The bill also seeks to end the discrimination that stakeholders in the polytechnics have, which for long they sought an end to.
A statement issued by the Senate Arm and jointly signed by Comrade Adeniji Temitope, NAPS Senate President and Comrade Olalere Adetunji, Chairman, NAPS Task Force on HND/BSc Dichotomy urged President Tinubu to consider the plight of millions of products of polytechnic education that are facing difficulties and discrimination by employers of labour and government agencies.
NAPS urged the president to sign the bill into law before May 29, 2024, as a legacy of his administration to save the polytechnic education sector from collapse, saying the signing would give parity to BSc and HND and bring an end to the discrimination against millions in the labour force.
The statement read, “The Senate arm of the National Association of Polytechnic Students and all the Student Union Government Presidents across the country have agreed to embark on a peaceful protest tagged: ‘Save Polytechnic Education Rally’
“The aim is to appeal to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to to append the presidential signature to this bill and end HND/BSc Dichotomy before May 29th 2024.
“As the president is giving assent to many bills, the HND/BSc dichotomy Act hasn’t been attended to. Polytechnic students and graduates are one of the major groups that supported this government.
“We shouldn’t be treated like an outcast in a nation where we are all citizens. This HND/BSc dichotomy has rendered many polytechnic graduates as second-class citizens and caused a lot of demoralization for the upcoming generations aspiring to undertake polytechnic education across Nigeria.”
NAPS appealed to the president to put an end to the discrimination against HND holders, saying an assent to the Act that has been lingering for several years would become a great achievement and legacy for President Tinubu.
On the rationale for the choice of Lagos for the rally, NAPS explained that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu being a student-friendly leader, an ally of the President and a lover of polytechnic education would convey their messages to President Tinubu.
“We humbly call on all polytechnic graduates and students in Lagos, all states within Southwest and FCT Abuja to come out in large numbers for these rallies. Until HND/Bsc Dichotomy is Abolished, Aluta Continua, ” the statement added.
