The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) says holders of Higher National Diploma (HND) would soon be employed as Assistant Lecturers in polytechnics and monotechnics in the country.

The NBTE Executive Secretary, Prof. Idris Bugaje, said this in an interview with NAN in Kaduna on Monday.

Bugaje said currently, only degree holders were being employed in polytechnics as assistant lecturers.

He lamented that HND holders were relegated as technicians and technologists in laboratories and workshops in the polytechnic sector, which he described as “gross injustice”.

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“Why should somebody from the university system come and midwife over a different system and become lords over them?

“The highest product in the polytechnics is the HND, as such, the best of these graduates should be employed as assistant lecturers and grow within the systems to have their Master’s degree.

“They can rise through the ranks to become Chief Lecturers and eventually become Rectors of their respective institutions,” he stated.

The NBTE boss said the scenario would change with the new Scheme of Service for the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector, adding that the scheme of service was awaiting approval by the Head of Service hopefully by the end of 2022 or early 2023.

He commended the Federal Ministry of Education for its support in ensuring the new scheme of service was developed and submitted to the Head of Service for approval.

The Star