The Federal government has proposed to extend the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme from one year to two years, as part of efforts to deepen skills acquisition and boost youth employment.
The proposed extension includes an expansion of the NYSC Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme to better equip corps members with practical skills for job creation and national development.
The Director General of the NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, gave the hint during a visit to the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa, in Abuja.
A statement issued by Caroline Embu, acting Director of Information and Public Relations in the NYSC, detailed the discussions and proposals raised during the meeting.
“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,” said the Minister.
Alausa commended the NYSC for its proactive and digitalised approach to the mobilisation process, which he said has helped address certificate racketeering involving some foreign-trained graduates within West Africa.
He also praised the Scheme for resolving the long-standing issue of Ordinary National Diploma (OND) part-time graduates who obtain full-time Higher National Diploma (HND) qualifications but were previously exempted from national service.
He said: “Efforts are on-going in the Ministry to digitize the verification of foreign-trained graduates of Nigerian origin.”
He added that the ministry and the NYSC would continue to strengthen their collaboration to improve the education sector and support national development.
In addition, the minister advocated the deployment of more graduate teachers to rural schools.
“This would fill the manpower gap in the schools,” he said.
Earlier in his speech, Brigadier General Nafiu reiterated the NYSC’s commitment to aligning with national policies and reforms.
“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.
He also urged the government to create a comprehensive database of Nigerian youths studying abroad.
“This would help the government and stakeholders in the education sector to have detailed records of Nigerian students abroad and eliminate fake graduates,” he said.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan, reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to closer collaboration with the NYSC.
“We are ready to work with NYSC more effectively towards uplifting the standard of education in the country,” he said.