The Kano State Governor, Alhaji Umar Ganduje, on Saturday appealed to the Federal government to formalise the removal of discrimination between holders of Bachelor’s Degrees and Higher National Diplomas (HND) in the public service.
He said this was necessary if the Federal Government was really determined to promote and sustain science and technical education in the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) reports that Ganduje spoke at the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti, as one of the recipients of the award of fellow of the institution.
He said the removal of the discrimination would help in encouraging technical education in the country.
According to him, the removal of the discrimination remains the best way to promote technical education which the politechnics were purposely established to achieve.
NAN reports that Ganduje said the 17th combined convocation ceremonies of the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti, where 16,786 graduands were conferred with Ordinary National Diploma and Higher National Diplomas was an indication that technical education was still being embraced by many.
The governor was conferred with the Fellow of the Polytechnic among other Nigerians including the former Ebonyi State Governor, Dr Sam Egwu, a businessman, Chief Bestman Anekwe, and Mr Femi Ogunleye.
Ganduje said polytechnic education was key to wiping out the scourge of unemployment in Nigeria.
He said his government had totally removed the dichotomy in Kano State and had taken steps like the proper funding of the Kano-owned polytechics to be able to act as veritable training grounds for those desirous of skills and vocations.
” Today, Kano State has no such barrier in the civil service. Holders of HND and Bachelor Degrees are employed on the same cadre and can rise to the pinnacle of their careers
” Apart from that, we also declared free primary and secondary education in Kano State. It is now compulsory for parents to put all children of school age in schools and this has increased enrolments in schools
” Kano State is also ensuring accreditation for all the 279 courses being offered by higher institutions owned by Kano State
” This is coupled with the funds being provided by government to train academic and non-academic staff of those institutions abroad,” he said.
Ganduje said his state was also strengthening the Almajiri education system to promote education at the grassroots.
In a goodwill message, representative of the Federal Ministry of Education, Mr Mr A. Ajulo, said that the commitment of the Federal Government to the ideals of technical and vocational education was to respond to the economic realities in the country.
He said that government had, through the TETFund, established a Research Fund aimed at resuscitating research activities in the nation’s tertiary institutions.
Ajulo said that TETfund was one of the five special intervention areas introduced to help in the realisation of of the objective of addressing the critical need for quality manpower.
Gov. Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State , represented by his deputy, Chief Bisi Egbeyemi, urged the graduands to be good ambassadors of he nation and think more of how to be job creators rather than seekers.
The Rector of the Polytechnics, Dr Hephzibar Oladebeye, appealed to theose honoured to help the institution in developing the polytechnic and make it a force to reckon with globally.
He urged the graduands to put to use the skills and entrepreneurial training in the school to create employment opportunities.
