Full-time Higher National Diploma graduates who had completed part-time National Diploma programs have protest the proposed exclusion from the National Youth Service Corps scheme. This protest comes as the registration for the second stream of Batch C mobilization began on Monday, January 6.
The affected graduates who gathered at the NYSC secretariat in Lagos on Monday with placards ‘Say No To Discrimination in NYSC’ and ‘Equal Rights for All,’ calls for their inclusion in the NYSC mobilization process.
Majaro Temitope, a member who completed his HND program at Yaba College of Technology, expressed concerns over the proposed exclusion, described the policy as discriminatory.
“Many of us here did ND part-time and later switched to full-time HND. We were not told there is a policy that will deny us the opportunity to serve, despite the struggles we faced during our ND years.”
Temitope also mentioned that they had written letters to relevant authorities seeking intervention, but had yet to receive a response. He called on the Director-General of NYSC and the Minister of Education to address the issue.
“We’ve already written to the Director-General and JAMB about this matter. We just hope the Federal Government and Ministry of Education will review this unfair policy, especially since the registration has already started and we have yet to register.”
A representative from the Education Rights Campaign, Adebola Osunfunrewa, criticized the policy as a reflection of the deterioration of Nigeria’s education system.
“This policy is another sign that Nigeria’s education system is collapsing. How can over 3,000 students beg to serve in a country that is facing severe teacher shortages.”
The Lagos NYSC Coordinator, represented by Assistant Director, Ehimuenma Itohan, assured the graduates that their concerns had been forwarded to the Director-General at the national headquarters.
“Your protest has been duly noted, and we have escalated your grievance to the highest level of management in NYSC. The Director-General is a father figure who deeply cares about the concerns of the youth, and I assure you that he will consider all aspects of the matter in line with the existing guidelines and policies”.