Senate passes bill to equate HND and Bachelor’s degree

A bill seeking to abolish the dichotomy between Higher National Diploma (HND) and Bachelor’s degree has passed third reading at the senate.

The Chairman of Committee on Tertiary Institutions, Ahmad Kaita, had presented his report stating that the Legislation when assented to and passed will give polytechnic graduates more confidence and this is expected to impact positively on the economy.

The report had six clauses, which were voted on by senators after which the bill passed the third reading.

The Senate President congratulated the Senate saying that, “This particular issue has been on the front burner for a long time. I recall that in the house between 2003 and 2007, this was one bill that was so important and it is a way of encouraging our polytechnic graduates.”

He further said “This should not take away the kind of training they give but should be a motivation for our polytechnic graduates.”

You would recall that, the House of Representatives had passed its own version of the bill in May 2019.

With the passing of the bill by both houses, a conference committee would hence be set up by both chambers to harmonise the proposed law.

After which, the bill will be sent to the president for assent.