HND vs BSc

There has often been comparisons between Polytechnic Institutions and Universities as to which produces more technically grounded graduates than the other. Some would hold that Polytechnics base on practical approach of learning while Universities base on theoretical approach of learning, therefore, making Polytechnic degree more relevant than University degree.

How true is this? Does this create some kind of rift in the quality of graduates produced by these institutions? (Nigeria as a case study)

Universities attempt to provide education to students in arts, science, law, commerce, business, engineering, and medical streams. Hence there are universities in all major cities of different countries. However, it is too much to expect universities to cater to every section of a population due to limited resources. Thus, in favor of close dissemination of knowledge and understanding to students, specialized institutions were carved out to concentrate on certain aspects of education. This explains the emergence of Polytechnics, and Colleges of Education in various parts of the world.

Polytechnics which are often regarded as ‘proxy access’ to education, lay emphasis on imparting technical education, and the courses are made to be more practical than the theory oriented courses in Universities. Polytechnic centers are also used to provide knowledge in applied science and industrial arts.

Polytechnics also favor short term programs in almost half duration of what is obtainable in the Universities. This does not mean that technical universities does not exist such as Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) etc. These are concentrated technical universities.

Generally, Universities are broader in their approach, and teach subjects with an emphasis on imparting basic knowledge using theoretical approach with a little bit of project work and lab assignments.

The truth is, degrees obtained from these two forms of academic institutions does not have comparable balance. Due to how ‘industry-specific’ most Polytechnic courses are, they are most likely to fit in more easily in the labor market than its counterpart. Knowing this, most employers may advertise vacancies restricting certain positions for Polytechnic graduates. However, the major challenges most Polytechnic employees face is that they usually suffer so many procedures and trainings before they can be promoted in most public and private firms, unlike their University counterparts.

Polytechnic graduates also face limitations after obtaining their degrees as they cannot proceed straight to Masters without going through a Post Graduate school. This is a major challenge that weakens the relevance of Polytechnic degree in comparison with that of a University degree.

Article by Jerry Odii.