The Federal Government is set to deepen its digital integration with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) as part of efforts to tackle certificate racketeering, improve qualification verification and ensure genuine graduates are not denied opportunities.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Tuesday when the NYSC Director-General, Brig. Gen. Olakunle Nafiu, led a delegation to the ministry in Abuja.
Alausa said the digital reforms being implemented under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda would help close loopholes in the management and verification of educational records while making it easier to authenticate academic qualifications.
According to the minister, the digital transformation of the education sector is aimed at strengthening the integrity of academic credentials and preventing genuine students and graduates from being disadvantaged.
FG, NYSC Plan Faster Certificate Verification
Alausa disclosed that discussions were ongoing between the Ministry of Education and NYSC on an Application Programming Interface (API) that would enable faster verification and seamless exchange of relevant data between the two institutions.
He explained that the Nigerian Education Repository Data Bank (NERD) was already collecting and verifying university certificates, tracking learners across the education system and supporting tertiary institutions through help-desk officers.
The minister added that the Nigerian Education Data Infrastructure would link records across different stages of a learner’s educational journey.
He also revealed that the ministry had digitised its Education Support Services end-to-end, including certificate verification and processes involving foreign applicants.
New Learner Identification System Planned
The government is also considering the introduction of a national Learner Identification Number, alongside a standardised system for recording and sequencing names across government education and identity databases.
Alausa said the proposed system would establish accurate identity records from the beginning of a learner’s educational journey and reduce discrepancies that could create problems for graduates later.
He identified discrepancies in names, issues involving graduates of part-time National Diploma programmes and the admission of National Certificate in Education holders into Higher National Diploma programmes among the challenges requiring urgent attention.
The ministry, he said, would work with the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and other stakeholders to develop lasting solutions.
NYSC Mobilisation Also Targeted
The latest move comes amid the Federal Government’s wider efforts to strengthen the authentication of academic credentials used for employment and NYSC mobilisation.
The government had previously directed Ministries, Departments and Agencies to begin using the National Credential Verification Service to authenticate academic certificates of staff and new employees.
The government later moved to make NERD authentication part of the NYSC mobilisation process, requiring prospective corps members to authenticate their academic qualifications.
The NYSC subsequently announced that it would strictly enforce the requirement as part of efforts to prevent unqualified and fraudulent graduates from entering the national service scheme.
NYSC Backs Digital Reforms
The NYSC Director-General, Brig. Gen. Olakunle Nafiu, commended the ministry’s digital reforms and pledged the Corps’ continued support for the transformation of Nigeria’s education sector.
Nafiu said the NYSC had pursued digitalisation since 2014 and developed systems designed to provide reliable information on Corps members and their deployment.
He disclosed that the Corps had complied with the Federal Executive Council’s directive on collaboration with the Nigerian Education Repository Data Bank and was prepared to deepen its partnership with the Ministry of Education.
According to him, technology has significantly strengthened the integrity of NYSC operations, with the introduction of QR codes helping to virtually eliminate document cloning within the Corps.
The proposed deeper integration between the Ministry of Education and NYSC is expected to make academic qualification verification faster, reduce fraudulent credentials and minimise administrative problems that could prevent qualified graduates from accessing national service and employment opportunities.
