Stop Discriminating Against HND Graduates’ Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufa’i The discrimination against polytechnic graduates in both public and private sectors, has been described as unfair, and a call has gone to the Federal Government to stop it. The Vice-President, Lagos Polytechnic Alumni Association, Mr. Olumuyiwa Olugbile, said this during the empowerment and skill acquisition programme organized by the association for students at the Ikorodu campus. Olugbile who is the Chairman, Organizing Committee of the programme, said it was unfortunate that university graduates were verated and paid higher salaries above their polytechnic counterparts. He said, “It is high time the Federal Government stopped this dichotomy between Higher National Diploma holders and university graduates. We need to develop technical education. The neglect of technical education has been the bane of our under-development. “Development of the modern economy rests on technology. No country can develop without technical education.” In order to escape such discrimination, he said, he had to seek admission to the university after he graduated from LASPOTECH to obtain higher degrees. Olugbile, who said 200 students had benefited from the skill acquisition programme, with 100 each drawn from its Isolo and Ikorodu campuses, explained that it was becoming extremely difficult to get white- collar jobs, thus students must begin to think of how they could create jobs for themselves. “Through empowerment programme like this, students should begin to think of how to create jobs for themselves after graduation and not looking for white-collar jobs that are non-existent any more. That is what we are telling them by organizing this skill acquisition programme,” he added. Resource persons in fashion designing, cake baking and bead making were brought to teach the students both practical and theory aspects of their vocation. Olugbile, who said being educated would help the students in planning and organizing their businesses better than illiterates, stated that the programme would be regular as the association would work with entrepreneurship study centre in the institution. Also, the institution’s Rector, Dr. Abdulazeez Abioye, advised the students to take the training seriously and make the best use of it. Abioye, who was represented by Deputy Public Relations Officer of the institution, Mr. Oluwasola Erinoso, added that the students should begin to think as employers of labour, rather than job seekers. He said, “You should take whatever you are taught here today by the facilitators seriously. Begin to think as employers of labour and not as job seekers. That is the only way to create wealth for yourselves.” A member of the organizing committee, Mr. Oriade Olawale, explained that the alumni association had thought it wise to give back to their Alma Mata, “because whatever we are today, the institution made its own input into our lives.” He said the members of the association made financial and moral sacrifices to put the programme together.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Jun 2013 10:45:45 +0000