Education minister proposes extension of national service to two years for graduates
Olatunji Alausa, the minister of education, has proposed the extension of the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme from one year to two years, with a strengthened focus on skill acquisition and entrepreneurship development (SAED) for corps members.
Alausa spoke when Olakunle Nafiu, the director-general of the NYSC, paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja.
Caroline Embu, NYSC’s acting director of information and public relations, said in a statement issued on Saturday that Alausa also recommended the deployment of more graduate teachers to underserved rural communities.
Embu quoted the minister to have said such action would help bridge the manpower deficit in schools located in remote areas.
Commending the scheme’s management for its proactive measures, Alausa lauded the digitalisation of NYSC’s mobilisation process, aimed at curbing certificate fraud, especially among foreign-trained graduates within the West African region.
He also praised the corps for resolving the lingering challenge that previously exempted national diploma {ND) part-time graduates with full-time higher national diploma (HND) from the national service scheme.
The minister further revealed that the ministry is working towards the digital verification of foreign-trained Nigerian graduates.
He assured that the federal ministry of education would continue to collaborate with the NYSC in its efforts to enhance the standard of education across the country.
“You have done so well as an organisation. Let NYSC give people more opportunities to become job creators that will meet the needs of the country,” he stated.
The NYSC DG applauded the ministry’s reforms and innovative strides in the education sector.
He called for the creation of a comprehensive database of Nigerian students studying abroad, adding that it would assist the government and other stakeholders in verifying credentials and eliminating fake graduates.
“NYSC is ready to comply with policy guidelines as directed by the Federal Government. We are also trying to reform the Scheme to conform with the present national needs,” he said.
