FG Takes Decisive Step to Eliminate HND/BSc Dichotomy in Civil Service
The Federal Government of Nigeria has made a significant move towards ending the long-standing dichotomy between Higher National Diploma (HND) and Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree holders in the civil service.
Key points:
- The government has approved the removal of the dichotomy between HND and BSc holders in the civil service.
- This decision aims to ensure equal treatment and career progression opportunities for all qualified civil servants.
- The move is expected to address long-standing concerns about discrimination and career limitations faced by HND holders.
- Implementation details are to be worked out by relevant government agencies.
- This policy change is likely to affect recruitment, promotion, and salary structures within the civil service.
- The decision is part of broader efforts to reform and modernize Nigeria’s civil service.
- Stakeholders in the education and labor sectors have largely welcomed this development.
This landmark decision is expected to have far-reaching implications for Nigeria’s workforce and education system. It represents a significant step towards creating a more equitable and merit-based civil service.
The government urges all relevant bodies to align their policies with this new directive to ensure smooth implementation across all levels of civil service.
The Head of the Civil Service disclosed that the rapidly changing work environment as well as demands for greater efficiency have necessitated the adoption of a Performance Management System by the Nigerian Civil Service, adding that PMS Policy and Guidelines have been developed and circulated to all Ministries, extra-ministerial Departments and Agencies.
She pointed out that core teams for its implementation have been duly constituted.
According to her, “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 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 described the digitalization of work processes in the Service as another reference point in the ongoing transformation of the Federal Civil Service.
She further stressed that the Office has fully digitalized all personal and policy files and is implementing digital transaction workflow processes, as all official correspondences, in the form of memos and internal and external circulars, are now being processed electronically through the Enterprise Content Management solution.
