The Minister of Education, Olatunji Alausa, has called for an extension of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme from one year to two years.
As shared in an official statement on NYSC’s Facebook page, the minister expressed his view during a meeting with the NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, at the Ministry’s office in Abuja.
Alausa, in his address, stressed the importance of enhancing the NYSC program, particularly its Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development Training.
He proposed that the national service duration be doubled, from one to two years, to allow corps members to gain more substantial skills and experiences.
“The minister also advocated for the extension of national service from one to two years, with the expansion of NYSC Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development Training programme content for corps members,” the statement read.
Alausa praised the NYSC for its efforts and urged the organization to provide more opportunities for individuals to become job creators, helping meet the country’s needs.
“You have done so well as an organization. Let NYSC give people more opportunity to become job creators that will meet the needs of the country“, Alausa said.
In addition to the proposed extension, Alausa emphasized the need to address the shortage of teachers in rural schools. He called for the deployment of more graduate teachers to these underserved areas to fill the growing manpower gap.
Certificate fraud
The minister also praised the NYSC for its proactive efforts to address the issue of certificate racketeering, especially regarding foreign-trained graduates.
Alausa lauded the NYSC’s steps to digitize the mobilization process, ensuring greater accountability and transparency to combat fraudulent activities.
“The NYSC has done well in resolving the issue of OND part-time graduates with full-time HND qualifications who were previously exempted from national service,” he remarked, appreciating their contribution to solving this long-standing problem.
Digitalization efforts
Alausa went on to explain that the Ministry of Education is in the process of digitizing the verification of foreign-trained graduates of Nigerian descent.
He said that the Ministry and NYSC would continue to strengthen their collaboration to improve the education sector and foster national development.
During the visit, Director General of National Youth Service Corps, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, commended the Ministry’s efforts in revolutionizing education. He also recommended creating a database for Nigerian students studying abroad to help identify fake graduates and curb the spread of fraudulent certificates.
“NYSC is ready to comply with policy guidelines as directed by the Federal Government. We are also trying to reform the Scheme to conform to the present national needs,” Nafiu said
Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan, the Permanent Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Education, assured that the Ministry would work more closely with the NYSC to elevate the standards of education across Nigeria.
