By Gabriel Ameh, The Sight News
Idris Bugaje, Executive Secretary (E.S) of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), has said the dichotomy between Higher National Diploma (HND) and Bachelor of Science (BSc) degrees will soon become obsolete as skills qualification overtakes academic credentials in the labour market.
Bugaje, while speaking to the media, said that within the next 10 to 15 years, degrees will lose their relevance, giving way to skills as the primary determinant of employability.
“The degree will soon be obsolete and of no use. In the next 10 to 15 years, degrees will lose their relevance. Skills qualification is what will give you a job,” he said.
He described the persistence of the HND-BSc dichotomy as a “psychology of underdevelopment” in Nigeria, where paper qualifications are valued over practical skills. “Countries that have developed don’t look at your papers. It’s a psychology of underdevelopment that is haunting us,” he stated.
To address this gap, he said that the NBTE is advocating for the conversion of polytechnic programmes from HND to Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) honours degrees, which would encompass learning, character, and skills. He argued that this transition would eliminate the unjustified disparity between HND and BSc holders, particularly in public service.
“At the moment, an HND holder in public service cannot go beyond grade level 14, while a degree holder can become a director. This has no practical justification, as HND holders often possess better hands-on skills,” he noted.
Bugaje emphasised that industries increasingly favour candidates with practical abilities over academic qualifications. He cited examples of major national projects like the Dangote Refinery and the Abuja-Kaduna railway extension, where skilled foreign workers were hired due to a lack of qualified Nigerian hands.
The NBTE is also pushing for a National Commission for Technical Education to replace the current board, which would give it more authority to develop schemes of service and secure better budgetary allocations. Bugaje explained that the commission would serve the entire technical, industrial, vocational, and entrepreneurship training (TVET) sector rather than focusing solely on polytechnics.
Meanwhile, the Federal Ministry of Education is supporting the shift towards skills training, with initiatives like NELFUND providing stipends for vocational students.
Bugaje expressed optimism about the proposed changes, noting that they would promote the progression of polytechnic graduates and help Nigeria meet its skilled workforce needs.
“By repositioning technical education and addressing the dichotomy, we will enhance the country’s capacity to deliver on key industrial projects without relying on foreign expertise,” he concluded.
