The Federal Government has commenced plans to link education records with the National Youth Service Corps to strengthen the verification of academic qualifications and curb certificate racketeering.
The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Tuesday when the Director-General of the NYSC, Brig. Gen. Olakunle Nafiu, led a delegation of the Corps on a visit to the ministry.
Alausa said the digital transformation of the education sector was designed to address gaps in the management and verification of academic records and make it easier to identify learners and authenticate qualifications.
He said closer collaboration between the ministry and NYSC would improve verification processes, reduce opportunities for fraud and facilitate the seamless exchange of credible data on learners and graduates.
The minister said the Nigerian Education Repository Data Bank was currently collecting and verifying university certificates, tracking learners across the education system and providing support to tertiary institutions through help-desk officers.
He added that the Nigerian Education Data Infrastructure would connect records across different stages of a learner’s educational journey.
According to Alausa, the ministry had also digitised its Education Support Services end-to-end, covering certificate verification and processes involving foreign applicants.
He said the ministry was in discussions with the NYSC on developing an application programming interface that would allow faster verification and exchange of relevant data.
Alausa said the reforms would help address administrative and data-related challenges that had prevented some qualified graduates from fully participating in national service and the labour market.
He listed discrepancies in names, challenges involving graduates of part-time National Diploma programmes and the admission of National Certificate in Education holders into Higher National Diploma programmes among the issues requiring urgent attention.
The minister said the ministry would work with the National Board for Technical Education, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, National Identity Management Commission and other stakeholders to develop lasting solutions.
He said the proposed reforms would include the introduction of a national Learner Identification Number and a uniform framework for recording and sequencing names across government education and identity databases.
Alausa said the measures would ensure that accurate and consistent identity records were established from the beginning of a learner’s educational journey.
He also said the government had strengthened efforts to tackle examination malpractice, including the leakage of examination questions, adding that the measures needed to be sustained and extended to tertiary institutions.
Speaking during the meeting, Nafiu said the NYSC had been pursuing digitalisation since 2014 and had developed systems that provide reliable information on Corps members and their deployment.
He said the Corps had complied with the Federal Executive Council’s directive on collaboration with the Nigerian Education Repository Data Bank and was ready to deepen its engagement with the ministry.
Nafiu said technology had improved the integrity of NYSC operations, noting that the introduction of QR codes had virtually eliminated document cloning within the Corps.
He assured that the NYSC would continue to strengthen its verification systems to tackle emerging forms of fraud.
The NYSC DG also highlighted efforts to resolve challenges affecting graduates of part-time National Diploma programmes, HND mobilisation and the admission of NCE holders into HND programmes.
He said discussions with the new JAMB Registrar had resulted in an understanding to create a window for graduates affected by name discrepancies to regularise their records in collaboration with NIMC.
Nafiu called for a broader meeting involving JAMB, NIMC, NYSC and the Ministry of Education to develop a lasting solution to the challenges.
He stressed that a consistent national framework for recording and sequencing names across government education and identity databases, supported by a unique Learner Identification Number, would help prevent similar difficulties in the future.
The NYSC DG assured the minister that the Corps would continue to collaborate with the ministry and other relevant agencies to strengthen verification and ensure that qualified graduates were not unfairly excluded from national service.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
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