Abuja: The Federal Government (FG) has been advised to improve the quality of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme instead of extending the service year to two: A cross section of corps members, parents, and education stakeholders advised in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria in Ibadan on Saturday. The respondents unanimously opposed the suggestion of extension of the service year, describing it as a waste of time.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, with relevant skills acquisition and start-up capital, participants will become self-reliant after their one-year national service. A corps member, Andrew Chukwuma, said it was enough that graduates of public tertiary institutions had spent more years than necessary studying due to incessant strikes by various education unions. He noted that the service year extension will also add to the challenges of getting jobs in companies that have age limits set on job positions.
Similarly, a parent, Mrs. Evelyn Falola, urged the government to consider some graduates who must first go for an internship before launching into their career. She noted that the extension would be an additional burden for such graduates. Falola suggested that the government should focus on empowering corps members right from the orientation camp and also create an enabling environment that will encourage youths to be employers rather than job seekers.
Meanwhile, a policy analyst, Mr. Yemi Osanyin, reiterated the need for Nigeria to strengthen its education sector in terms of quality and employability of graduates rather than the extension. Osanyin stated that by ensuring the quality of education, graduates would not need to depend on whatever the extension of service would offer, if ever there was any. He highlighted ongoing concerns, such as corps members’ posting to threatened and insecure places, which make parents and stakeholders object to the extension plan.
Osanyin questioned the rationale behind the extension and whether it would truly add value to the graduates’ experience. He argued that various issues, such as unemployment of Nigerian graduates, could be addressed by strengthening the education sector. He advised that issues of education funding, quality teachers, training and re-training, and developing 21st-century compliant curricula should be prioritized.
NAN recalls that the Minister of Education, Dr. Olatunji Alausa, had on April 4, recommended the extension of the scheme and the expansion of its content.