The Nigerian Federal Government has decided to eliminate the Higher National Diploma (HND) in Computer Science program from all technical institutions in the country.
The decision aims to diversify the skilled workforce in the rapidly evolving field of IT and provide graduates with specialized skills.
The announcement was made in a letter dated January 8, 2024, signed by Prof. Idris M. Bugaje, the Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE). The letter, which was addressed to the Director General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and shared with other important stakeholders, outlines a plan to phase out the program by the 2025 academic session.
According to the letter, no new students will be admitted to study Computer Science at HND Awarding institutions starting from the 2024/2025 Academic Session. However, students who were interested in studying computer science at the HND level will now have the option to choose from four specialized areas that have been introduced as alternatives to the former “Computer Science” discipline.
The four new areas of specialization are HND Artificial Intelligence, HND Networking and Cloud Computing, HND Software and Web Development, and HND Cybersecurity and Data Protection.
