This subject has been chewed to death by ALL countries in this world. Nigeria is no exception. Even in Germany there is a push from trade councils and chambers of commerce etc. to let those with an ISCED 5B level qualification be named 'Bachelor Professional'.

If some here would do their homework and find out what the difference is between an ISCED 5A and 5B level (easily found in internet) it would clear up a great deal of misunderstandings.

I can only repeat that every country, with a similar level to your own HND, is going through the same headaches as you are. There seems to be an assumption that it is your government's fault etc.etc. This is an international phenomenon of trying to harmonise education e.g. academic versus technical/professional courses !!!

If you required the same amount of 'A' levels to start your 5 year HND course as with a degree course, I would say there was case for concern. As far as I remember one started quite young with an OND course and progressed to HND level. So the OND or an 'A' level + 'O' levels became compatable to start the HND course. In reality,
therefore, the HND was not a 5 year course but a 3 year one. The entry level/requirements was less than that generally required for universities.

As mentioned previously there are international educational points given for all levels which is a fair system. Nevertheless, I would like to add that the 'Grandfather Law' should exist not to devalue those who have achieved the HND in the past for certain positions which are now demanding degrees.

Please forgive me if this has already been mentioned somewhere before.

As far as I can see, your HND was very much similar to the type I did in Scotland at the start of the 1970's.
Entry qualifications was a minimum of 1 'A' level or 4 'O' levels or an 'Ond'. It was tri-semester lasting 3 years - 16 weeks industrial training was manditory during the 2 following summer seasons i.e. 3 weeks personal summer vacation per year.

I studied Hotel Management and, at that time, there were frankly no degrees in Hotel Management around with the exception of 'Surrey'. In the latter case the intake  was so small it certainly did not satisfy the needs of the entire UK!!! We too were given the impression that it was an alternative degree. At the time it was also not possible to change course mid-stream or have the HND counting towards a degree ( top-up). That is a recent development.

From the research which I did on the subject of HND/BSC , I found out that the ACADEMIC value of an HND was two thirds of a standard degree. This is why the two educational courses have always been seen to clash with each other. A degree course tended to consist of a more theoretical approach whilst the HND a 'hands-on', profession orientated one. The original thought of a university was to study a subject with no real 'job' content. If one studied linguistics, mathematics, chemistry, physics etc.etc.  there was no pure career 'training'. At bachelor level they demanded a further course e.g. teacher's certificate, to make a career out of it. Similarly with chartered qualifications. The higher you qualified at a university, the more specific the profession seemed to become. A physician or dental student  'just' learned the basics up until bachelor level and at masters or higher, he/she became more and more involved with a specific  'profession' in mind.

In Europe we have now Credit Points: 180 for first academic degree (3 years); 300 for masters (5 years) and so on . Now, a 3 year HND  course is valued at 120 academic points (2/3) of a BA. Now one may ask - what about the other training involved which is not counted?

If one wants to study mathematics at a university surely one does not start with basic arithmetic but at a level which is a continuation from 'A' Level Maths. If one studies English as a subject at university one does not start learning what a verb is but rather dissecting the language/literature etc. at a very high level. Now how is it with an OND/HND? What particular prerequisites does one have to obtain in order to follow the OND/HND course? In reality very little. A medical student may require  'A' levels in physics, chemistry, biology etc.  One cannot say that an HND is a 5 year course if an OND is just catching up with NEW subjects not based on previously learned subjects. Even the requirement of 1'A' level (not specified)  is not used for any continuation of the subject at that level. An architect student normally has to provide artistic capabilities, a musical student is expected to be able to read music and play an instrument. But that is perhaps where the real difference lies. At OND and HND levels there are generally no prerequisites required. So, with this example, we are learning a profession from scratch whilst at a university (in its original sense) should be a continuation, or development, of main subjects which one has already learned at school or has a good knowledge of.

This is what makes comparisons extremely difficult. Nowadays the NEW UNIVERSITIES are mid-stream in their teaching philosophies to the old HNDs and Degrees - a right soup of being neither one or the other. I have lived through many an education reform and sympathise with all the people who are left by the way-side as their qualifications are de-valued through new 'inventions' of up-grading!! Degree courses which start subjects from scratch e.g. optional languages (as one would learn at  junior school) are certainly not an improvement on any previous types of qualifications !!