Former students of polytechnics across Nigeria gathered on Thursday to urge President Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) to sign the Higher National Diploma/Bachelor of Science Dichotomy Act. Represented by the Forum of Nigeria Polytechnics Alumni Association (FONPAA), the alumni warned that the HND/BSc dichotomy is causing serious harm to technological education. They argued that presidential assent to the Act would calm frayed nerves and restore hope for millions of polytechnic graduates.
FONPAA Chairman Obialor Ibebulke and Secretary Goke Ishola also called on the federal government to upgrade Nigerian polytechnics to degree‑awarding institutions. They said such an upgrade would enhance academic prowess, align Nigeria with practices in more advanced countries, and advance the frontiers of technological education.
Speaking after a two‑day Executive Committee meeting at the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti, Ibebulke, Ishola and other executive members lamented the chronic underfunding of Nigerian polytechnics. They appealed for increased government funding to support academic activities and improve research across the institutions.
The forum reiterated its demand for the establishment of a Nigeria Polytechnic Commission, a dedicated body to administer polytechnics similar to the National Universities Commission. National President of the FPA Alumni Association, Abiodun Oyedokun, urged the government to provide better facilities and modern equipment and technology for lecturers, thereby strengthening the polytechnic system as a whole.
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