By The Federal Government is moving to connect education records with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) as part of efforts to strengthen academic verification and tackle certificate fraud across the country.
The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Tuesday when the NYSC Director-General, Brig. Gen. Olakunle Nafiu, led a delegation to the ministry.
Alausa said the initiative formed part of the government’s broader digital transformation of the education sector, aimed at improving how academic records are captured, managed and authenticated.
According to him, closer integration between the ministry and NYSC would enable faster exchange of reliable information on students and graduates while reducing opportunities for fraudulent qualifications.
He said the Nigerian Education Repository Data Bank was already collecting and verifying university certificates, tracking learners through the education system and supporting tertiary institutions through help-desk officers.
The minister added that the Nigerian Education Data Infrastructure was being developed to connect records from different stages of a learner’s educational journey.
The ministry, he said, had also digitised its Education Support Services, including certificate verification and procedures involving foreign applicants.
Alausa disclosed that discussions were ongoing with NYSC to develop an application programming interface (API) that would allow both institutions to exchange relevant records and conduct verification more efficiently.
Government targets identity gaps
The minister said the reforms were also designed to resolve administrative and data inconsistencies that have prevented some qualified graduates from accessing national service and employment opportunities.
Among the challenges identified were discrepancies in names, issues affecting graduates of part-time National Diploma programmes and the admission of National Certificate in Education holders into Higher National Diploma programmes.
Alausa said the ministry would work with the National Board for Technical Education, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, National Identity Management Commission and other relevant agencies to address the problems.
One proposed solution is the introduction of a national Learner Identification Number alongside a standard system for recording and sequencing names across government education and identity databases.
The system, according to the minister, would establish a consistent identity record for learners from the beginning of their education and reduce discrepancies later in their academic and professional careers.
He also said the government was strengthening measures against examination malpractice, including examination question leakages, while stressing the need to extend such efforts to tertiary institutions.
NYSC backs deeper digital integration
Nafiu said the NYSC had been pursuing digitalisation since 2014 and had developed systems capable of providing reliable information on Corps members and their deployment.
He said the Corps had complied with the Federal Executive Council’s directive to collaborate with the Nigerian Education Repository Data Bank and was prepared to deepen its partnership with the Education Ministry.
According to him, technology has significantly strengthened NYSC operations, with the introduction of QR codes virtually eliminating document cloning within the Corps.
Nafiu said NYSC would continue upgrading its verification systems to keep pace with emerging forms of fraud.
He also highlighted ongoing efforts to address challenges surrounding part-time National Diploma graduates, HND mobilisation and the progression of NCE holders into HND programmes.
On name discrepancies, Nafiu said discussions with the new JAMB Registrar had produced an agreement to create a window through which affected graduates could regularise their records in collaboration with NIMC.
He called for a joint meeting involving JAMB, NIMC, NYSC and the Ministry of Education to develop a permanent solution.
Nafiu maintained that a unified national framework for names and a unique Learner Identification Number would help eliminate many of the inconsistencies currently affecting graduates.
He assured the minister that NYSC would continue working with the ministry and other government agencies to strengthen verification and ensure that qualified graduates are not wrongly excluded from national service.
