The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has launched an innovative online top-up initiative aimed at providing Higher National Diploma (HND) holders the opportunity to elevate their credentials to Bachelor’s Degrees. This program, spanning one year, collaborates with accredited foreign universities to facilitate this educational transition.
According to a statement released by Mrs. Fatima Abubakar, the Head of the Media Unit at NBTE, this program has been designed to streamline the progression of HND holders towards higher academic achievements. Past endeavors to secure approval from the National Universities Commission (NUC) for a two-year Master of Technology track for HND holders in select polytechnics faced obstacles and were ultimately unsuccessful.
The prevailing practice for HND holders often involves pursuing a one-year Postgraduate Diploma (PGD) as a prerequisite for enrollment into Master’s Programs at universities. One notable drawback of the PGD pathway is that individuals pursuing PhD degrees and seeking to transfer to Nigerian universities encounter challenges, as they are consistently required to present their initial bachelor’s degrees, despite holding doctorates.
To eliminate this undue bias and to provide a solution, NBTE has developed a progressive pathway for HND holders. This initiative can be accessed through the dedicated platform at https://topup.nbte.gov.ng, as disclosed by Abubakar.
Furthermore, Abubakar highlighted another issue faced by many graduates from polytechnics with HND qualifications: the challenge of being mobilized for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). This new program aims to address such obstacles and promote academic advancement within the technical education sector.
For more information about this program and its benefits, interested parties are encouraged to visit the official website provided above or contact the NBTE directly.
