The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has warned all professional and examination bodies in Nigeria to stop the unlawful practice of conducting and awarding National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) certificates.
This was stated in a press release issued on Thursday in Kaduna by the NBTE Executive Secretary, Prof. Idris Bugaje, through the board’s Head of Media and Publicity, Mrs. Fatima Abubakar.
According to the statement, Bugaje raised concerns about some professional and examination bodies claiming the authority to design, administer, and issue ND and HND certificates in various fields.
He emphasized that such actions are illegal and constitute a breach of the NBTE Establishment Act.
According to her, the NBTE remains the only body legally empowered under the Federal Government Decree No. 9 of 1977, as amended by Act 16 of 1985, to approve, accredit, and regulate all programmes leading to the award of ND and HND certificates in Nigeria.
The board further clarified that only accredited Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions, including Polytechnics, Colleges of Nursing Sciences, Colleges of Health, Colleges of Agriculture, and other specialised institutions that meet prescribed standards were authorised to run ND and HND programmes.
The NBTE, therefore, warned that it would not hesitate to take regulatory and legal action against any professional or examination body found engaging in such illegal practices.
The board urged all the stakeholders and the public to take note and ensure strict compliance with established regulations governing technical education in the country.
In September, NBTE maintained that it would sustain its crackdown on mushroom entities calling themselves polytechnics and thereby impinging on the government’s strong commitment to delivering qualitative education across the country. https://punchng.com/nbte-vows-to-crack-down-on-fake-polytechnics/