Federal Govt reveals what HND holders need to do before conversion in Civil Service
Federal Govt reveals what HND holders need to do before conversion in Civil Service
On Thursday, the federal government clarified the reason behind the mandatory one-year training requirement for Higher National Diploma (HND) holders before their transition from the Executive to Officer cadre in the federal civil service.
Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), has mandated affected workers to undergo a one-year mandatory training before transitioning from the Executive to the Officers cadre.
Yemi-Esan made this announcement during a virtual interactive session with civil servants to mark the 2024 Civil Service Week, themed “Educate an African Fit for the 21st Century: Building Resilient Education Systems for Increased Access to Inclusive, Life-long, Quality and Relevant Learning in Africa.”
The one-year training program aims to bridge the gap between Higher National Diplomas (HND) awarded by polytechnics and university degrees, which has long been a contentious issue between the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).
Despite a 2021 bill aimed at ending this dichotomy not being signed into law, NBTE has introduced a one-year top-up program to facilitate HND holders’ progression towards obtaining a bachelor’s degree. The move was disputed by NUC, citing differences in curriculum content and faculties producing students under each system.
Responding to queries during the virtual meeting, Yemi-Esan acknowledged the disparity between HND and B.Sc curricula, emphasising the necessity for HND graduates to complete mandatory one-year training before converting to the Officers’ cadre.
Addressing the theme of the 2024 Civil Service Week, Yemi-Esan stressed the importance of accessible, inclusive, and high-quality education aligned with contemporary global demands. She highlighted the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan (FCSSIP 25), focusing on Capacity Building and Talent Management, in line with the African Union’s chosen theme for this year’s celebrations.
Yemi-Esan also underscored the adoption of a Performance Management System (PMS) in response to evolving work environments and the need for enhanced efficiency within the Nigerian Civil Service.
She stated that, “PMS implementation has been cascaded to the Ministries, with the Permanent Secretaries serving as the primary drivers.
“In this regard, performance contracts are to be further cascaded down to the last officer in each MDA.
“This new system will assess each officer’s performance solely based on their respective Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and it will enable tracking of job objectives across all MDAs.
“By implication, each officer across the Service can clearly link his goals and objectives with those of his department, those of the respective Ministry and the national KPIs.
She highlighted the ongoing transformation of the Federal Civil Service, citing the digitalisation of work processes as a significant advancement.
She emphasised that all personal and policy files have been fully digitized, and workflow processes, including memos and circulars, are now handled electronically through the Enterprise Content Management (ECM) solution.
