The Minister of Education, Olatunji Alausa, has proposed extending the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme from its current one-year duration to two years.
Alausa made the suggestion on Friday during a courtesy visit by the NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, to his office in Abuja.
The proposal was shared in a statement posted on NYSC’s official Facebook page.
In addition to the extension, the minister recommended expanding the NYSC’s Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme to provide more robust training for corps members.
He also emphasized the need to deploy more graduate teachers to rural areas to help address manpower shortages in schools.
Alausa praised the NYSC for its digital reforms aimed at curbing certificate fraud, particularly among foreign-trained graduates from within West Africa.
He also acknowledged the scheme’s progress in resolving issues surrounding OND part-time graduates who later pursued full-time HND programmes but were previously exempted from service.
Highlighting ongoing efforts in the ministry, the minister said plans were underway to digitize the verification process for foreign-trained Nigerian graduates.
He expressed his support for a stronger collaboration between the Ministry of Education and NYSC to enhance education and national development.
“You have done so well as an organisation,” Alausa said.
“Let NYSC give people more opportunities to become job creators that will meet the needs of the country.”
In his remarks, Brigadier General Nafiu commended the Ministry of Education for its progress and innovation.
He also called for the creation of a database to track Nigerian students studying abroad, which he said would assist in identifying fake academic credentials.
“NYSC is ready to comply with federal government policies.
We are also working to reform the scheme to meet current national demands,” Nafiu added.
The Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan, reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to partnering with the NYSC to improve the country’s education system.