Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti
Kano State Governor, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje has appealed to the federal government to sincerely implement the removal of the preferential treatment between holders of Bachelor Degrees and Higher National Diplomas (HND) in the service.
Ganduje made the suggestion during the 17th combined convocation of the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti, where 16,786 graduands were conferred with Ordinary National Diploma and Higher National Diploma honours.
At the convocation, Ganduje was conferred with the Fellows of the Polytechnic among other Nigerians, including former Ebonyi State Governor, Dr. Sam Egwu, a business Mogul, Chief Bestman Anekwe and Mr. Femi Ogunleye, among others.
Ganduje explained that polytechnic education “is central to the efforts of the federal and state governments to wipe out the scourge of unemployment in Nigeria.”
He said his government had totally removed the dichotomy and had taken far more reaching steps like the proper funding of the Kano owned Polytechnics to be able to be veritable training grounds for those desirous of skills and vocations.
He said: “Today, Kano State has no such barrier in the civil service. Holders of HND and Bachelor Degrees are employed on the same cadre and can rise to the Pinnacle of their careers.
“Apart from that, we also declared free primary and secondary education in Kano State. It is now compulsory for parents to put all children of school age in schools and this has increased enrolments in schools.
“Kano State is also ensuring accreditation for all the 279 courses being offered by higher institutions owned by Kano State. This is coupled with the funds being provided by government to train academic and non academic staff of those institutions abroad.”
Ganduje said the state had started strengthening the Almajiri education that would promote education at the grassroots.
Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, represented by the Deputy Governor, Chief Bisi Egbeyemi, urged the graduands to be good ambassadors of the country and think more of how to be job creators rather than seekers.
The Rector of the Polytechnics, Dr. Hephzibar Oladebeye, appealed to the honourees to help the institution in developing the polytechnic and make it a force to be reckoned with globally.
He urged the graduands to put to use, the skills and entrepreneurial acumen garnered in the school into use to create employments within the system
