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Polytechnic graduates or Holders of the Higher National Diploma who did not have evidence of the mandatory 12-months industrial training exercise will not longer be able to participate in the National Youth Service scheme.
The acting Director of Press and Public Relations, NYSC, Mrs Caroline Lembu, who said this on Friday, adding that, those that fall into the category will not be granted access to register at the NYSC orientation camp to participate.
The NYSC had recently introduced a new policy, requiring graduates of polytechnics and monotechnics to present an IT certification, as part of requirements for the national service, particularly for participation in the camp activities.
The NYSC Coordinator in Lagos State, Mrs Yetunde Baderinwa, explained that "corps members must undergo the one-year IT with evidence of completion before going for HND, and institutions must confirm this before admitting them for HND.”
“The directive will take effect from the next orientation camp, and we will not register any candidate who did not complete or undergo the process,” Baderinwa said.
“That is part of the requirement for obtaining an HND Certificate, isn’t it? So, it’s just that certificate. That is one of the documents they are required to present at the camp. They would get admission into the camp, but whether they would be registered or not is the issue. You know, everyone is admitted to the camp, and your documents are scrutinised. But what happens is that that is the requirement.”
Lembu noted that polytechnic students “are supposed to do the 12-month training,” as a pre-condition for earning the HHD certificate.
“It is a prerequisite for getting the HND certificate. That is just the certificate they are asking for. They are not being rejected, they are just supposed to present it,” she said.
In Osun State, the NYSC Public Relations Officer in the state, Funmi Okundaye, said the policy was being implemented.
“They were not evicted from camp. It is not an issue in the Osun camp alone. It is a national policy to sanitise the education sector. We sent those who don’t have IT letters back home to bring it. It is part of the registration materials they must bring to camp.
“Once they bring their IT letters from where they observed it, they will be allowed to return to the camp,” Okundaye said.
It was a similar situation in Niger State, where the NYSC spokesman in the state, Sam Oga, confirmed that polytechnic graduates without IT certificates were not being registered.
“Yes, we are implementing it. The NYSC HND candidates are not allowed into the camp without proof of IT. Until we get a counter directive they will not be allowed into the camp,” Oga said.
Reacting to the development, the National President of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, Mr Shammah Kpanja, drummed support for the new policy, adding that, “The industrial attachment is an extension of the National Diploma programme and is a critical requirement for advancing to the Higher National Diploma. To be eligible for the HND, you must complete a one-year industrial attachment, where you acquire practical industry skills relevant to your field of study. After completing the IT, you can then enroll for the HND.
“The one-year IT is compulsory and is a key criterion for admission into the HND. The National Board for Technical Education has communicated to the National Youth Service Corps that IT is mandatory, ensuring that students who skipped this step are not mobilised for the NYSC."
