National Universities Commission, NUC  scrapped sub-degree diploma programmes in the Nigerian University System.

The National Universities commission (NUC) on Tuesday, says universities in the country would soon put a stop to diploma programmes run at the undergraduate level.

Executive Secretary, NUC, Professor Abubakar Adamu Rasheed said that the decision scrapping the sub-degree diploma was reached during a meeting in Abuja with Vice Chancellors of federal, state and private universities in the country last Wednesday.

Mr. Adamu said universities currently running the programmes have been directed to begin to wind down immediately.

He said: ‘’Running sub-degree diplomas was not the business of Universities, but that of Polytechnics, more so when the Federal Government, as far back as November, 2001, had issued a circular stating that such diplomas could not be used for employment or promotion purposes in the Public Service.’’

Rather than stretch their facilities to run sub-degree programmes, the universites, he said, should direct their energies towards their primary function of producing high level manpower for the economy, by strenthening their part-time programmes, in addition to offering high quality undergraduate degrees as well as postgraduate diplomas and degrees.’’

Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Dr Kazaure, dispelled the rumours that the federal government had converted the Kaduna Polytechnic and Yaba College of Technology to City University.