Addressing Discrimination against NCE Certificate, HND Graduates

Following the creation of two additional universities by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration, the Special Adviser on Education, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, explained why Lagos is addressing the discrimination against the NCE and HND graduates in the workplace, among other issues. Funmi Ogundare reports

Last Wednesday, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos signed the bills to establish additional two universities; Lagos State University of Education (LASUED) and Lagos State University of Science and Technology. He assented to the bills transmitting Lagos State Polytechnic in Ikorodu, Isolo and Surulere campuses to the University of Science and Technology, as well as Adeniran Ogunsanya Colleges of Education, Ijanikin and Michael Otedola College of Primary Education, Epe to Lagos State University of Education.

The signing ceremony was held at Lagos House, Marina and was witnessed by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo, members of the governing council and management staff of the tertiary institutions.

After signing the bills, the governor said his administration would take the law to the National Universities Commission (NUC) that would do due diligence.

Wahab told journalists how his office had to engage consultants two years ago after research was conducted, and they discovered that enrolment into the institution was dwindling. The subvention and the running cost were going up.

“We need to bear in mind the fact that NCE as a certificate is no longer commanding respect in the market, for the polytechnics, our findings showed us even in public service if you want to go into the House of Assembly, for instance, you must do a conversion programme for two years into masters in a place like LASU,” Wahab explained. “There is discrimination against HND holders in the market. It’s something we need to address and do it holistically.”

He commended Speaker Mudashiru Obasa for his leadership, cooperation and understanding in record time when his office approached the house with the two bills. Asked if new students would be admitted into the schools for the 2020/2023 academic session, the special adviser emphasised the transition clause in the law establishing the institutions, saying that the students who are already admitted are allowed to graduate, but they cannot admit new ones.

“There is what we call transition clause in the law which states that they are allowed to graduate for the courses they applied for,” he added. “For instance, if you are in year one or two in Adeniran College of Education, what it states is that the school cannot admit new students for the NCE programme. So the structure will be phased out in the next two or three years, to allow the last students to graduate.”

He noted that the school, in conjunction with JAMB, would determine the school’s admission cut-off mark. For the lecturers in the polytechnic and colleges of education becoming universities, he disclosed plans are underway to recalibrate the system to suit what is obtainable in the universities, adding that chief lecturers which obtained in those schools will be converted in tandem with the new provisions of the law and nobody will be sacked.
“Nobody will be asked to go because there will be a transition period to meet up with the obligations which will be discussed between the management, technical committee and them. A new structure will be put in place at the schools. We will not also hesitate to employ the best of hands to help us berth the vision of the governor,” he said.

Asked about the deliberate steps his office is taking to avoid the crisis that usually consumes institutions in the process of conversion, Wahab said, “That is why we have a technical committee in place. We are not out there to witch-hunt anybody or ask anybody to go. No. That is not where the governor stands. If you are not qualified to lecture in the university, that should not be the end of the world. There will still be a transition period where you will still be lecturing in the school because we have students there before we became a university. So we give you three years or thereabout when you will need to meet the minimum requirement to lecture in the university. That is our plan.”

Speaking further, he explained: “The schools are ready for it. In fact, the colleges have been on this for years and even the polytechnics. That the governor has achieved this is to the glory of God. I believe with what we are putting in place so far and the cooperation we are receiving from every stakeholder, we should be able to cross the Ts and dot the Is without much crisis in our hands.”

In the last year, he said his office has been able to restore peace at the Lagos State University (LASU) and ensured a fair and transparent level playing field for everybody concerning the vice-chancellorship.

“We are going to raise a visitation panel to look at the institution. The extant law says every five years, the visitation panel headed by the former Vice-Chancellor of OAU, Ife, Prof. Bamtale Omole, will look at the school,” he noted. “That panel will be submitting its reports to the governor on the outcome of the VCship.”

Wahab said tertiary institutions have begun to attain a great stride in infrastructure deficit through ramping up capacity and budgetary allocation.

“As we speak, the Public-Private Participation (PPP) hostel template for LASU is ongoing, and its about 40 per cent. There are about 8,252-bed spaces that alone is a major landmark. At the same time, we are going to duplicate that in Lagos State Polytechnic, now Lagos State University of Science and Technology. In Lasu, the governor approved a 6.6km lighting to cover the perimeter fence of LASU,” he added. “We are also doing the same for LASPOTECH, Ikorodu, where the project is at 50 or 60 per cent completion now. The construction of the administrative building will be befitting of a university. We are also seeking to complete the building for Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education. I will thank the governor for the completion of the students’ arcade.”
Reacting to the issue where children now go into ritualism with social media, the special adviser regretted that with the global challenge, the misuse of technology by kids is very sad.

He said there has to be a benchmark regulation on the use of technology concerning age, adding that parents should stand up to their responsibilities and talk to their children.

“Even in developed climes, as much as we can have access to social media, there has to be a restriction with respect to age. Those in charge of our communication and information at the federal level need to look at the NCC act viz-a-viz what we can do because there is a breach of trust between government and citizens. When they say they want to regulate social media activities, the first thing that comes to mind is that they want to gag the press. It goes beyond the press. People go on social media to post some funny stuff, lies, falsehood and pornography, and they have kids who see these and start having funny thoughts,” Wahab further stated.​