Unjust treatment of HND holders in civil service

I say to Dr Tunji Alausa, congratulations on your new beat, the Ministry of Education, after your brief but impactful sojourn at the Ministry of Health. I am glad you are meticulously making an impact there.

I read about how you’re canvassing for more practical experiences for university undergraduates and also working on getting polytechnics ‘upgraded’ to Universities of Technology.

That’s good, but then we need to understand and appreciate the content and curriculum of polytechnics.

The polytechnic is where you get two in one: theoretical and practical training, while the university has zero or minimal practical training (except for now, when a little more practical has been introduced).

So, when did one (theory) become greater than two (theory & practical)? How is the person who has only one training senior to the person who has two? Several people, including me, chose to go to the polytechnic because you get more from there. My admission into the University of Lagos came long before my PCE (that’s what it was called then) was out, and what was sold to me was that universities and polytechnics were the same, only that you get more from the latter.

So, to the ones who are ignorant, not everyone you find in the polytechnic was denied admission into the university.

Another thing this treatment is doing to the system is causing apathy for polytechnic education, leading to people employing various crooked means to get admission into universities that cannot even accommodate the teaming candidates every year.

I implore you and everyone to inquire about the performances and activities of graduates of these institutions. You get almost the same, and you also get to find out where there’s more potential. Indeed, there’s a Yoruba saying that clearly states what this is: Ìbí ò j’ùbí lọ o! If there’s anything, both should be treated the same, not one over the other.

One might say, but there’s no dichotomy. Well, maybe for people at the entry-level in the civil service. However, when you get to a certain level, you can’t proceed, even when you have a Master’s degree in the same field. Civil service asks for PGD even when the institution did not ask for this criterion.

I believe every qualification/profession should be respected because we are all important elements needed to fix the societal puzzle. If a doctor cannot fix his car with mechanical issues and a mechanic cannot inject himself when caught under the weather, everyone should be given equal and maximum respect.

Practical skills and experience are critical yet often overshadowed by academic qualifications. HND graduates generally receive more hands-on training, which gives them a depth of experience that should be valued in any profession. It’s disheartening when the system doesn’t seem to reflect the true worth of that experience.

I humbly submit that the Honourable Minister of Education, governors and chairmen of House Committees on Education at the National and State Assemblies should help look into this and address the unjust treatment meted out to HND graduates, especially in the civil service.

Kayode is a broadcast journalist, HND graduate, Master’s holder, alumna of the RNTC, Netherlands and Hubert Humphrey Fellow, USA.

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