The Minister of Education, Dr. Olatunji Alausa, has called for the extension of the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme from one year to two years. The minister made the call during a courtesy visit by the Director-General of NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, in his office on Friday.
In a statement shared on NYSC’s official Facebook page, Dr. Alausa also proposed an expansion of the NYSC Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development Training Programme to provide more comprehensive training for corps members. He emphasized the importance of these initiatives in addressing the evolving needs of Nigerian youth and enhancing the country’s workforce.
The extension of the national service from one to two years, along with the expansion of the Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development Training Programme, will provide corps members with the skills needed to excel in their future careers, the statement quoted the minister.
Dr. Alausa also stressed the need for more graduate teachers to be deployed to rural schools, where there is a significant manpower gap. He commended the NYSC management for its proactive efforts, particularly its digitalized processes aimed at tackling certificate racketeering involving foreign-trained graduates within the West African region.
The Minister of Education further praised the NYSC for resolving the issue of National Diploma (OND) part-time graduates with full-time Higher National Diploma (HND), who were previously exempt from the national service. He added that efforts are underway to digitize the verification of foreign-trained Nigerian graduates, and that the Ministry and NYSC would continue to strengthen their collaboration in the interest of national development.
You have done so well as an organization. Let NYSC give people more opportunities to become job creators that will meet the needs of the country, Dr. Alausa stated.
In his remarks, Brigadier General Nafiu applauded the Ministry of Education’s innovative strides in the education sector. He called for the establishment of a database to track Nigerian youths studying abroad for degree programs, which would help identify fake graduates and support the credibility of the education system.
NYSC is ready to comply with policy guidelines as directed by the federal government. We are also working on reforming the Scheme to align with the current national needs, he said.
The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan, also affirmed the ministry’s commitment to working more effectively with NYSC to uplift the standard of education across Nigeria.
