Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Olatunji Alausa, has proposed doubling the duration of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme from one year to two, alongside a revamp of its skill acquisition programme to better prepare graduates for self-employment.
This proposal was made during a meeting with NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, in Abuja. A statement shared via NYSC’s official Facebook page detailed the minister’s position, stressing that the current programme should be more tailored toward equipping young Nigerians with entrepreneurial and vocational capabilities.
Dr. Alausa further recommended the posting of more graduate teachers to underserved rural schools, citing it as a way to address widespread staffing shortages and improve access to quality education in those areas.
He also applauded NYSC’s efforts to tighten its vetting processes, especially concerning the credentials of foreign-trained graduates within West Africa. The minister noted ongoing digital reforms aimed at verifying such qualifications more efficiently.
The Education Minister acknowledged NYSC’s role in resolving previous service exemption issues faced by OND part-time graduates who advanced to full-time HND programmes.
“You have done well as an organisation. Let NYSC give people more opportunities to become job creators that will meet the needs of the country,” Alausa said.
In response, Brigadier General Nafiu commended the Ministry’s contributions to the education sector and suggested the creation of a comprehensive database to track Nigerians pursuing degrees abroad. According to him, this would support efforts to curb academic fraud.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan, reaffirmed the Ministry’s readiness to collaborate more closely with NYSC in enhancing national education standards.
