Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, has asked workers with Higher National Diploma to undergo one-year mandatory training before their conversion from Executive to Officers cadre.
Yemi-Esan said this at a virtual interactive session with civil servants in commemoration of the 2024 Civil Service Week with the theme, “Educate an African Fit for the 21st Century: Building Resilient Education Systems for Increased Access to Inclusive, Life-long, Quality and Relevant Learning in Africa.”
The one-year mandatory training programme to bridge the gap between polytechnic awarded Higher National Diplomas and university degrees has been controversial between the National Universities Commission and the National Board for Technical Education.
A bill was passed at the Ninth National Assembly in 2021 to end the dichotomy, but President Muhammadu Buhari did not sign it into law.
Thus, NBTE, which regulates technical and vocational education, had to introduce what it describes as a one-year top-up programme which offers a platform for HND holders to level up towards obtaining a bachelor’s degree.
While fielding a question from one of the civil servants during the virtual meeting, Yemi-Esan, said, “The curriculum for HND and BSc holders were not the same, hence, HND graduates would have to undergo mandatory one-year training before conversion from Executive to Officers’ cadre.”
Adebayo Hassan in Grade Level 14 had earlier asked about the dichotomy between B.Sc and HND holders in the Service and what the Federal Government was doing to bridge the gap.
Speaking on the 2024 Civil Service Week theme, Yemi-Esan emphasised the need for education to be accessible, inclusive and of high quality, while highlighting the need for it to constantly remain relevant to the rapidly evolving demands of the modern world.
According to her, “The theme also speaks to how the Nigerian Civil Service is leveraging learning and development to enhance the capacity and capability of its workforce with a view to delivering on national priorities.”
