No plan to extend service year by NYSC, says Education Minister

Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has dismissed rumours claiming he called for the extension of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) duration from one year to two years.

‘’I didn’t say NYSC should be extended for two years,” Alausa stated during his address at the 28th convocation lecture of Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, held yesterday.

He clarified that his recommendation was for the creation of a teacher corps, anchored by NYSC, aimed at addressing the shortage of educators in underserved rural areas and reducing unemployment in the country.

The convocation lecture was titled “Patriotism, Citizenship, and National Ownership: The Imperative of Collective Responsibility for Nigeria’s Future.”

He said, ‘’My proposal to NYSC was that it should look into the possibility of forming a teacher corps. It’s been done in other parts of the world. Let’s form a teacher corps, which NYSC can anchor.

“Teacher Corps will engage, voluntarily, in an optional way, teachers to go serve in rural communities for two years and pay them. Even if they’re being paid NYSC service wages. It’s not enough.”

The minister further explained that his idea was prompted by the availability of numerous trained but jobless National Certificate of Education (NCE) holders.

‘’Today, we have more supply of NCE teachers who are well-trained but have no jobs. In the rural areas, there are no teachers to teach Mathematics, English and Sciences.’’

He also reiterated the federal government’s initiative to introduce a $10 million youth entrepreneurship venture capital grant designed for young people in universities.

Additionally, the minister confirmed that the government has earmarked N110 billion for interventions in medical schools and has allocated N80 billion for infrastructure upgrades in Unity Schools.

All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje, who presided over the event, remarked that President Bola Tinubu’s initiative to set up skill acquisition centres in each of the country’s six geopolitical zones would help empower graduates to become self-sufficient.

LASU Vice-Chancellor Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello thanked the President and Alausa for supporting the reintroduction of History in schools.