HND Holders Drag FG To Court Over Discrimination

A group of Higher National Diploma (HND) holders in the public service, yesterday, dragged the federal government before the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), sitting in Abuja, asking it to declare that they are entitled to the same remunerations and progression in their work places as their counterparts with first degree without any discrimination whatsoever.

The plaintiffs are further praying the court for an order directing the defendants to implement the directives of the government white paper on the presidential committee on the consolidation of emoluments in the public sector.

Aside the Attorney General of the Federation, others cited as defendants in the suit were the National Council on Establishment and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

Meantime, the President of the NIC, Justice Babatunde Adejumo yesterday adjourned the suit to September 18 for hearing.

Meanwhile, the committee set up by the Federal Government to work on the dichotomy between holders of the Higher National Diploma (HND) and university degree holders has submitted its report.

The committee inaugurated in May, 2014 was tasked with reviewing the content and curriculum of the HND programmes to be equivalent to the Bachelor of Technology and introduce a bridging programme that will pave way for HND holders to reach the highest grade level in the public service.

Some of the recommendations of the committee include the need to maintain standards by not creating two different B.Tech degrees, but to synchronise the B.Tech curriculum proposed by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) for the polytechnics with the same one approved for the universities by the National Universities Commission.

This, the report said, is to avoid further dichotomy.