NYSC, Education Ministry Forge Alliance To Tackle Certificate Racketeering
By Alice Etuka, Abuja
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, says closer integration between the Ministry and NYSC would improve verification, reduce opportunities for fraud and make the exchange of credible learner and graduate data more seamless.
Special Adviser to the Minister on Media and Communications, Ikharo Attah disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday
Alausa said digital transformation of Nigeria’s education system under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda is strengthening the integrity of academic qualifications, tackling certificate racketeering and ensuring that genuine students and graduates are not disadvantaged.
Alausa stated this during a meeting with the Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig. Gen. Olakunle Nafiu, who led a delegation of the Corps to the Ministry.
He said the reforms were designed to close gaps in the management and verification of educational records, making it easier to identify learners and authenticate qualifications across the education system.
The Minister commended the NYSC leadership for embracing technology and supporting efforts to strengthen the credibility of education records.
He said closer integration between the Ministry and NYSC would improve verification, reduce opportunities for fraud and make the exchange of credible learner and graduate data more seamless.
Alausa explained that the Nigerian Education Repository Data Bank (NERD) was collecting and verifying university certificates, tracking learners across the education system and supporting tertiary institutions through help-desk officers.
He added that the Nigerian Education Data Infrastructure (NEDI) would link records across different stages of a learner’s educational journey.
He further disclosed that the Ministry had digitised its Education Support Services end-to-end, including certificate verification and processes involving foreign applicants.
Discussions were also underway with NYSC on an Application Programming Interface (API) that would enable faster and seamless verification and exchange of relevant data.
According to the Minister, the reforms would also address administrative and data-related challenges that have prevented some qualified graduates from participating fully in national service and the labour market.
He identified discrepancies in names, issues affecting graduates of part-time National Diploma programmes and the admission of NCE holders into Higher National Diploma programmes among the issues requiring attention.
Alausa said the Ministry would engage 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.
These would include a national Learner Identification Number and a consistent national framework for recording and sequencing names across government education and identity databases to ensure that accurate and consistent identity records are established from the beginning of a learner’s educational journey.
The Minister also said the government had strengthened measures to curb examination malpractice, including the leakage of examination questions, and stressed the need to sustain the gains and extend such measures to tertiary institutions.
Speaking during the meeting, the NYSC Director-General, Brig. Gen. Olakunle Nafiu, commended Alausa for the reforms and pledged the Corps’ continued support for the digital transformation of the education sector.
Nafiu noted that NYSC had pursued digitalisation since 2014 and developed systems that provide reliable information for Corps Members and their deployment. He said the Corps had complied with the
Federal Executive Council’s directive on collaboration with NERD and was ready to deepen the partnership with the Ministry.
The NYSC DG highlighted the impact of technology on the integrity of the Corps’ operations, noting that the introduction of QR codes had virtually eliminated document cloning within NYSC.
He assured the Minister that the Corps would continue to strengthen its verification systems to guard against emerging fraudulent practices.
Nafiu also highlighted ongoing efforts to resolve challenges surrounding issues 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 produced an understanding to create a window for graduates affected by discrepancies in names to regularise their records in collaboration with NIMC.
The NYSC DG called for a broader meeting involving JAMB, NIMC, NYSC and the Ministry 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 prevent similar difficulties in the future.
Nafiu assured the Minister that NYSC would continue to work with the Ministry and other relevant agencies to strengthen verification and ensure that qualified graduates are not unfairly excluded from national service.
Reaffirming the administration’s commitment to the reforms, Alausa said the Ministry would sustain its collaboration with NYSC and other stakeholders and pursue the digital transformation agenda with renewed vigour.
He said the ultimate objective was to build an education system in which every Nigerian child has access to quality education and every genuine graduate can progress on the strength of merit and hard work.
Alausa added that the reforms reflected President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment, under the Renewed Hope Agenda, to building a more transparent, efficient and productive Nigeria.
He assured that the government would continue to confront corruption and systemic weaknesses through technology, credible data and stronger institutional collaboration, while protecting the integrity of Nigeria’s education system and delivering lasting improvements.
