By Nkechi Eze
The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Olatunji Alausa has commended the Management of National Youth Service Corps for its proactive and digitalized efforts in mobilisation process, towards curbing certificate racketeering involving some foreign trained graduates within West Africa.
He also hailed the Scheme for resolving the lingering issue of OND part-time graduates with full-time HND who were previously exempted from National Service.
The Minister stated this today when the Director General of National Youth Service Corps, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Abuja.
Acting Director Information and Public Relations Caroline Embu in an official signed statement disclosed that the Hon. Minister further stated that efforts are on-going in the ministry to digitize the verification of foreign trained graduates of Nigerian origin.
He said the Ministry and NYSC would further strengthen their alliance towards the improvement of education for national development.
He advocated the deployment of more graduate teachers to serve in rural schools, saying this would fill the manpower gap in the schools.
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.
“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”, he said.
Speaking earlier, the NYSC Director General, Brigadier General Oluseye Nafiu lauded the Ministry’s innovation and giant strides in the education sector.
He called for the establishment of a database of Nigerian youths going abroad to study for degree programmes, adding that this would help the government and other stakeholders in the education sector to have detailed records of Nigerian students studying abroad and also eliminate 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.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Mr Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan affirmed the Ministry’s readiness to work with NYSC more effectively towards uplifting the standard of education in the country.
