A group of polytechnic graduates stormed the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) secretariat in Lagos on Monday, protesting the proposed exclusion of full-time Higher National Diploma (HND) graduates with part-time National Diploma (ND) programs from the NYSC scheme.
The graduates, who displayed placards with slogans like “Say No to Discrimination in NYSC” and “Equal Rights for All,” demanded mobilization for the NYSC program. Majaro Temitope, a representative of the graduates, expressed fears over the proposed policy, describing it as discriminatory.
Temitope explained that many of the graduates had completed their ND programs part-time before switching to full-time HND programs.
Despite this, they were being denied the opportunity to serve in the NYSC program. The graduates argued that this policy was unfair, as it judged their eligibility for service based on their ND programs rather than their HND qualifications.
The protest comes as the registration for the second stream of Batch C mobilization begins. The graduates have written to the Director-General of the NYSC and the Minister of Education, seeking their intervention in the matter.
Adebola Osunfunrewa, a representative of the Education Rights Campaign, criticized the proposed exclusion, stating that it highlighted the backwardness of Nigeria’s education system.
With over 3,000 students eager to serve their country, Osunfunrewa questioned the logic of excluding them, especially given the country’s teacher shortages.
