HND graduates risk missing out on NYSC participation, reasons emerge

• A new policy by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is threatening the participation of many Higher National Diploma (HND) graduates
• The NYSC has made the one-year mandatory IT programme a prerequisite for registering at the orientation camp
• Many HND graduates have started pleading with NYSC to intervene with their polytechnic and mono-technic to allow them to go for service

Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 5 years of experience covering basic and tertiary education in Nigeria and worldwide

FCT, Abuja - Many Higher National Diploma (HND) graduates are at risk of missing out on the national service due to a policy change by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC)

The latest requirement for HND graduates to participate in the national service is to provide evidence of completing their one-year mandatory IT certificate.

HND graduates are to provide evidence of completion of their one-year Industrial Training Photo credit: @officialnyscng
Source: Twitter

Failure to provide evidence will disqualify them from being registered in their respective orientation camps.

The 2024 Batch ‘B’ Stream II Orientation Course is scheduled for August 28, 2024.

“Graduates of Higher National Diploma (HND) are to provide evidence of completion of their one-year Industrial Training in addition to ND and HND Certificates/Statement of Results.”

As reported by Leadership, this implies that many HND graduates' participation in the next orientation camp is threatened.

According to the law, the one-year mandatory IT programme is a prerequisite for admission to the HND programme but many HND awarding institutions fail to confirm the IT-compliance before admitting students.

The NYSC coordinator in Lagos State, Yetunde Baderinwa, explained the reason for the decision to enforce the law.

“It has been noticed in recent times that some graduates of polytechnics and mono-technics do not observe the mandatory one-year IT before being admitted for HND programmes. The one-year IT is a prerequisite for HND.”

One of the affected HND graduates from Kaduna State Polytechnic, who identified herself as Hauwa, said she is afraid she might not be allowed to register at the NYSC camp because of the new policy.

“I’m excited to start my service, but I’m worried that I might not be screened (admitted) in camp due to this new requirement. My school did not let us know that we have to provide the mandatory IT certificate, and I fear this could disqualify me.”

Some affected HND graduates, who have been mobilised for Batch B Stream II have pleaded with the NYSC to intervene with their institutions and allow them to serve the fatherland.

They argued that they were admitted without requiring the mandatory IT certificate. They added that their schools did not alert them to the need for it.

NYSC cancels 101 certificates of UNICAL graduates

Legit.ng earlier reported that the NYSC withdrew the certificates of 101 persons who were graduates of the University of Calabar (UNICAL)

Eddy Megwa, the spokesperson of NYSC, disclosed the development in a statement on Monday, August 12, saying UNICAL fraudulently mobilised the affected persons

The NYSC then urged stakeholders and employers to verify graduate certificates of the scheme at its headquarters before granting them jobs

Source: Legit.ng