Ralph, HND (Higher National Diploma) was designed by people who were in-charge of affairs and most of them were university graduates. To prevent HND from being equal to degree, they chose the word “diploma” instead of Technology which is more creative than administrative quality of university degrees. Even a B.Sc. (Bachelor of Science) degree holder does not have the technical knowledge which HND holders have. HND should have been higher scientific technology (HST) to really give it a deserving title. Most first rate countries of the world made it through citizens training in science and technology. Nigeria leaders lack such orientation. Universities are set up by some states to mass produce graduates from their zones so they could have higher number of posts in public sector. Many of their products cannot defend their university certificates. So, how are they better than HND holders? In colonial times, many officials were not university graduates and yet they got to such high positions. In my view HND certificate holders go for their master degree like their first degree counterparts. HND and degree holders should be at par, simple.
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Ralph, I know people go to different institutions of learning to receive what will help in nation building and to be frank what is obtainable in the past is not as you think today. Employ the two and you will see what I mean.
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Your write up smarts of sentiments, simply put you have a degree. If you are a HND certificate holder your perception would be different. HND holders in Engineering can do better than theoretical Nigeria university degree holders in same field. They are even better managers when availed with the opportunity. Just to correct your erroneous impression exhibited in the article, I believe you have trained all your kids in universities therefore you can talk down on HND, but for the sake of nation building, though you don’t believe in it, allow National Assembly to do their job.
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Your write up on dichotomy simply portrays you as being biased and unrealistic.
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Disparity is not an issue, performance is.
Nixon Hart – [email protected]

Ralph, I read your piece on the above issue and I wanted to make a detailed response but I changed my mind because I think we have more serious issues threatening the wellbeing of the nation than difference between degree and HND. By the way, the matter has been overtaken by the distortion inflicted on the educational sector. Those who manage the tertiary education juggled up everything as a result it is difficult to tell the difference between the degree graduate and the HND holder. Ralph, from the curriculum it is like the polytechnic now added up courses they were barred from doing before, so there is really no difference. I admit you have corrected in what you tried to highlight in the sense that the earlier idea was for those with diploma certificates to stop at some points.  The idea was for the HND holders to be the hands on the job men and the degree graduates, the thinkers. As it is today everything is muddled up. It is no longer an issue.
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Note: My brother it is an issue. It is important we have levels of expertise; every one cannot be the leader. Some would have to play their roles at much lower levels. It is the urge for all to be the big man that drives the demands. We must have different categories of manpower and these should be very clear to all, so that when you enroll, both parents and their wards know clearly what they are going in for. Of course this should not close the door to further improvements, but the process should be started. It is true the issue is about the critical area of science and technology, yet nothing should be sacrificed on the altar of ego. This is the position I hold.

Dear Ralph,
Your piece “dichotomy between degree and HND” like other of your scholarly discourse threw up, to my mind several misapplications cum implementations of policies by the authority. Though an HND graduate, I have always seen or expected to see the degree holder doing the “office theory” thing while the Diploma holder does the “field” practical thing. To get there also, it is expected that while the degree guy goes from secondary school to the university the diploma guy would come through secondary-technical school to the polytechnic. The polytechnic was where vital practical training over and above what is available in the university, was obtainable. But these were truncated by politico-economic development. Politics of every zone trying to enlarge the number of institutions in its own area and dwindling economy that affected the ability to spread the universities to meet the ever increasing number of applicants, hence the deliberate mix ups observed. Unfortunately the diploma guy had to bear the brunt until now that the change government seems to have taken the bull by the horns. I therefore pray that serious attention be given to science, craft and technical schools for better trade for the upcoming generation of graduates to become labour employers and creators.
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