The National Universities Commission (NUC) says the Kaduna State Polytechnic (KADPOLY) and Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) had not been converted to universities.
NUC’s Executive Secretary, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, gave the clarification when he received Dr Masa’udu Kazaure, Executive Secretary National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), in Abuja on Tuesday.
He said that polytechnic education was as important as university education to national development.
“We have been meeting to see how we will update ourselves on so many issues particularly the social media stories going on about the conversion of some polytechnics to universities.
“The social media has it that KADPOLY has been converted to a university of technology and YABATECH converted into a university.
“We realised that these are some peoples’ wishes conveyed through the social media and we are taking it seriously here.
“The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and NUC will work to develop a blueprint for mounting multitech programmes in our polytechnics to ensure that polytechnics remained polytechnics but run degree programmes.
“In fact, in Hong Kong, they have polytechnic-university, and it is one of the best universities in the world.’’
He said Nigeria needed polytechnics and the courses and competences offered by polytechnics.
Rasheed said Federal Government recently decided to do away with the dichotomy between holders of Higher National Diploma (HND) and university degrees.
The NUC boss said HND holder could reach wherever the degree holder reached provided he/she acquired post graduate diploma.
According to him, universities are being encouraged to discontinue diploma programmes.
“Many of them have stopped diploma programmes because it is not the business of universities to award diplomas at the sub-degree level except postgraduate diplomas.
“But the polytechnic in conjunction with universities can award degrees.
“This is what we are going to work on collaboratively in the next few months to ensure that we can have a document we can present to the ministry’’, he said.
Earlier, Kazaure said he was in the commission to present the National Qualification Framework which would take care of all qualifications no matter how it was acquired.
He said that Federal Executive Council had given approval for the six- level framework for vocational qualifications.
Kazuare said the framework was to address the non-formal sector which contributed more than 70 percent to national development.
According to him, the framework will recognise all qualifications and address the lingering HND/BSC dichotomy.
