By Busari Kabirat
The federal government of Nigeria has made known its latest line of action towards Nigerian education in Polytechnics, stating that there would be disengagement of Higher National Diploma course in Computer Science in all Polytechnics and Monotechnics.
This was written in a letter recently signed by Prof Idris Bugaje, the Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education, addressing all Monotechnics and Polytechnics in Nigeria to discontinue computer science program as a course.
According to NTBE there will no longer be admissions into the HND Computer Science programme from the 2024/2025 academic session henceforth.
Though, students already admitted will have the opportunity to finish their programmes till 2025 before phasing out the program finally, while the new specialized areas of Computer Science would be as follows:
- HND Networking and Cloud Computing
- HND Artificial Intelligence
- HND Cybersecurity and Data Protection
- HND Software and Web Development
Letter reads: “Due to emerging trends and the need to strategically position our graduates for more effective national development, I wish to notify you that the Board has unbundled the HND COMPUTER SCIENCE programme run in all institutions under our purview.
“The new specialized areas floated out of the former are as follows: HND Artificial Intelligence, HND Networking and Cloud Computing: HND Software and Web Development, and HND Cybersecurity and Data Protection.
“Consequently, there will no longer be admissions into the HND COMPUTER SCIENCE programme from the 2024/2025 academic session. Students who have already been admitted into the former programmes are given up to 2025 to phase out.
“In view of the above, you are requested to kindly note that admissions from the 2024/2025 academic session into the erstwhile HND Computer Science programme will be only in the aforementioned four specialized areas
“While hoping that this information will be treated accordingly and given wide circulation through your good office, please accept the assurance of my highest regards and consideration”, it stated.
