ASUP STRIKE, HND DISCRIMINATION AND THE CONSPIRACY OF SILENCEThe Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics’ (ASUP) strike has continued for weeks and most Nigerians seem not to care. Unlike the usual flooding of the headlines of various newspapers with news about Academic Staff Union of Universities’ (ASUU) strike whenever it is on, most newspaper company seem to care less about the fate of ASUP and Polytechnic Education by extension. The House of Representatives that is known to treat ASUU strike as a matter of National Urgency seem not to give a damn about ASUP. I'm yet to see any significant Television report or coverage of the strike and its associated activities like the recent National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) protest unlike what is obtainable during ASUU strike (Channels Television is the only Television reporting and giving the strike proper attention). Most educational Activists seem to care less about the strike and the fate of Polytechnic Education. Even major opposition parties, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), that usually capitalize on ASUU strike to lash out on the federal government, do not find ASUP strike worthy of scoring them cheap political points. Worst of all is the apparent collusion of the Polytechnic Alumni Community in this conspiracy of silence against ASUP strike and Polytechnic Education. This is evident from their silence on various social media platforms unlike what we see during ASUU strike. The paltry number of ‘likes’ on one of the few pages on facebook dedicated to the polytechnic alumni community(www.facebook.com/NigeriaPolytechnicStudentsAndAlumniCommunity)clearly demonstrates that poly graduates are reluctant in identifying with their Alma Mata because of the stigma of discrimination.

 

This conspiracy of silence is an indication that ASUP may be fighting an already lost battle because all evidence point to the fact that the Nigerian government and the elite in general place no value on Polytechnic Education. Hence, the issue of dichotomy between HND and bachelor’s degree may never be resolved. The greatest effort ever exercised to emancipate Nigeria Polytechnics and put an end to this unjust discrimination was made during the administration of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in 2007. I was on my one year Industrial Training during that period. I read the news about the proposal of Dr. (Mrs.)Obiageli Ezekwesili (the minister of education at that time) with joy not knowing that my joy will soon be cut short when the proposal of the minister of education hits a brick-wall in the National assembly dominated by University Graduates who will stop at nothing to ensure that their poly counterparts (who should naturally be partners in progress) remain in the pit of discrimination. The stiffest resistance to the proposal came from the Honourables and Senators who had engineering background and are supposed to appreciate more than others, the role of the Polytechnics in technological advancement of the Nation. That bill died a natural death as a result of the refusal of the National Assembly to amend the Polytechnic Act.

 

 

All hope became lost again and no one really cared except those affected like me. The discrimination later became worse with paramilitary organizations excluding HND holders from their Officer Cadre while other government agencies, ministries and parastatals refuse to promote HND holders beyond level 14. The private sector soon followed the leading of the government by excluding HND holders from their Graduate Trainee Programmes (it is only in Nigeria that the word Graduate means someone who successfully completes a course of study in the university ONLY). All postgraduate scholarship opportunities offered by both government and the private sector excludes HND holders till date. Even the newly established Presidential Scholarship For Innovation And Development (PRESSID) that seeks to develop manpower for the technological advancement of the nation excludes HND holders (http://www.nairaland.com/985998/presidential-scholarship-scheme-discrimination-against). The discrimination does not end there. Most Private sector organizations also discriminate polytechnics in carrying out their corporate social responsibilities in Higher Institutions. Perhaps, one of the worst case of this evil discrimination is the encounter of an HND holder with his future father in-law. His proposal to marry the daughter of a University Graduate was turned down on the ground that he is an HND holder. At the family level, the discrimination is evident when parents gives more money to their kids in the University than the ones in the Polytechnic. In some Churches, first class Graduates from the university are rewarded while relegating distinction Graduates from the polytechnics to the background. HND is now a demon that no one want to associate with.

 

The conspiracy of silence against ASUP, its demands and by extension Polytechnic Education, is therefore a fallout of the contempt with which polytechnic education is treated in Nigeria. As much as I am tempted to argue that HND is equivalent to a bachelor’s degree,   I will not because doing that will not change the mind of those who have already concluded otherwise before any argument is brought forward. Some might be quick to misconstrue my refusal to argue for lack of tenable argument. To such people, I'll advice you take a first class bachelor’s degree alongside ND and HND result of a Polytechnic graduate who finished with distinction at both levels to World Educational Services (www.wes.org) for international evaluation of the worth of both certificates. I'm certain the outcome of such evaluation will illuminate such biased minds and put in proper perspective the fact that HND is equivalent to bachelor’s degree.

 

 

 

One thing is however clear: The discrination of HND and neglect of polytechnic education that ASUP is agitating against is just one out of the myriads of problem ravaging the Nigerian education sector. The entire education sector, from primary to tertiary, is lacking in quality and purpose. Even the bachelor’s degree from our universities that are touted as superior to HND are hardly recognized outside the borders of Nigeria for employment purposes. While the Polytechnic Graduates are discriminated against, the university Graduates keep depreciating in quality to the extent that Ph.D holders from our Universities now compete for employment as Truck Drivers.

 

Education is the bedrock of development of any Nation. The most developed nations of the world are the most technologically advanced nations. The United States of America, which is the most technologically advanced nation in the world, does not joke with her technical Institutes. Prominent among the US technical institutes is Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which has topped the list of world’s best Universities several times. If MIT were in Nigeria, NUC would have insisted that its name be changed to Massachusetts University of Technology (MUT) or affiliate it to Havard or Stanford University because by NUC standard, an institution cannot award a degree unless it bears the name 'university' or is affiliated to another institution bearing the name 'university' as if all that matters is nomenclature and not purpose, quality and output. This points out the fact that the discrimination against HND is mainly an issue of nomenclature. One is called a diploma while the other is called a degree. One is obtained from a University while the other is obtained from a Polytechnic (someone once said that: “Had it been HND stands for Higher National Degree it would have been a hot cake”).

 

Unless we overhaul our educational policy, and prioritize Technical and Vocational Education, Nigeria will continue to depend on foreign technology. It is therefore safe to conclude that the conspiracy of silence against ASUP strike by the various stakeholders, that can force the necessary change proposed by ASUP in order to safeguard the future of this country, is clearly a conspiracy against Nigeria as a nation. We will continue to import the most ridiculous of things like toothpick until we give technical and vocational education its pride of place.