The conversion is only available to HND holders who intend to pursue academic careers, according to the Board.

On August 14, the NBTE offered relief to Higher National Diploma (HND) graduates who wanted to convert their certificates to Bachelor’s degrees.

The board has offered to convert HND to BSc degree, through a new one-year top-up program with accredited foreign universities.

The new development was disclosed in Abuja through a statement made available to pressmen by the Board’s Head of Media Unit, Mrs. Fatima Abubakar.

According to her, the board’s failure to get legal backing for a proposed direct masters program for affected HND holders pushed it to find how to enhance HND holders in the country because they are the keys to Nigeria’s industrialization and critical skills for delivery.

Stating other challenges HND holders face, Abubakar explained that many polytechnic HND graduates don’t get mobilised for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

However, the NBTE Head of Media Unit, Hajiya Fatima Abubakar, has given new clarification on the programme on Tuesday in Abuja.

Abubakar told pressmen that the board’s Chief Executive, Prof. Idris Bugaje,  clarified that the programme is not for all the HND holders but rather for those who have the ambition to further their career in an academic environment such as teaching and research in the Polytechnics or Universities.

He said,” This top-up is an alternative to the Postgraduate Diploma (PGD) offered by Nigerian Universities.

”In a democracy such as ours, HND holders should be allowed to make a choice between PGD and the top-up to BSc.”

Speaking further, the NBTE boss disclosed that the clarification came because of the misunderstandings about the programme in a section of the media.

He explained that the top-up is not bringing an end to HND programmes in Polytechnics but rather provides choice to HND holders wanting to go for an academic career.

”The choice of starting it with foreign universities is to show its universal acceptability perchance the Nigerian universities may eventually buy into it in due course.

”The cost is reasonable, just about 10 per cent of what regular face-to-face students pay.

”NBTE has come up with the programme to enable interested Polytechnic HND holders to be at par with their counterparts with Bachelor’s degree holders.

”And make it easy for them to go for their Master’s and Doctorate degrees for those interested in pursuing their career in academics,” he said.

Bugaje, during the unveiling of the programme earlier this month, noted that the programme would ease the suffering of HND holders in the country.

He said,” Presently, there are many PhD holders who academically progressed with HND through the PGD coming back to enrol for BSc (after their PhD) in Nigerian universities, a very retrogressive step indeed.

“The HND qualification in itself represents something unique, and this top-up shall be an encouragement for candidates to apply for polytechnic education since there is a pathway for progression into academics.

”This will never dilute the essence of technical education but rather enhance it.”