The Federal Government has intensified the digital transformation of Nigeria’s education system as part of efforts to strengthen the integrity of academic qualifications, curb certificate racketeering, and ensure that genuine students and graduates are not disadvantaged.
Minister of Education, Dr Olatunji Alausa, stated this in Abuja, when the Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig-Gen. Olakunle Nafiu, led a delegation of the corps on a visit to the ministry.
Alausa said the ongoing reforms are designed to close loopholes in the management and verification of educational records and create a system where learners and graduates can be properly identified, while their qualifications could be authenticated seamlessly.
He stated that, the digitalisation of education records would make it increasingly difficult for individuals to manipulate or falsify academic credentials, while providing institutions and government agencies with reliable data for decision-making.
He commended the NYSC leadership for embracing technology and supporting efforts to improve the credibility and verification of education records.
The minister said stronger integration between the ministry and NYSC would enhance the verification of graduates, reduce opportunities for fraud, and facilitate the seamless exchange of credible learner and graduate data.
Alausa explained that the Nigerian Education Repository Data Bank (NERD) was collecting and verifying university certificates, tracking learners across the education system, and providing support to tertiary institutions through help-desk officers.
He added that the Nigerian Education Data Infrastructure (NEDI) would provide the platform for linking records across the different stages of a learner’s educational journey.
The minister further disclosed that the Ministry had digitised its Education Support Services end-to-end, covering certificate verification and processes involving foreign applicants.
He said discussions were also ongoing with NYSC on the development of an Application Programming Interface (API) that would facilitate faster and seamless verification and exchange of relevant data between both institutions.
According to Alausa, the reforms would also tackle administrative and data-related challenges that have prevented some qualified graduates from participating fully in national service and accessing opportunities in the labour market.
He identified discrepancies in names, challenges involving graduates of part-time National Diploma programmes, and the admission of holders of the National Certificate in Education (NCE) into Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes among the issues requiring urgent attention.
Alausa said the Ministry would engage the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), and other relevant stakeholders to develop permanent solutions.
He said the government was working towards introducing a national Learner Identification Number, alongside a consistent framework for recording and sequencing names across government education and identity databases.
The Minister explained that establishing accurate identity records from the beginning of a learner’s educational journey would eliminate many of the discrepancies currently affecting students and graduates.
Alausa also disclosed that the government had strengthened measures against examination malpractice, including the leakage of examination questions, stressing that the gains recorded must be sustained and extended to tertiary institutions.
Reaffirming the Federal Government’s commitment to the reforms, Alausa said the Ministry would sustain its partnership with NYSC and other stakeholders while pursuing the digital transformation agenda with renewed vigour.
He said the ultimate objective was to build an education system where every Nigerian child could access quality education and every genuine graduate could progress on the basis of merit and hard work.
Alausa added that the reforms reflected President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment, under the Renewed Hope Agenda, to building a more transparent, efficient, and productive Nigeria.
He assured that the government would continue to deploy technology, credible data, and stronger institutional collaboration to confront corruption and systemic weaknesses, protect the integrity of Nigeria’s education system, and deliver sustainable improvements across the sector.
Speaking at the meeting, the NYSC Director-General, Brig. Gen. Olakunle Nafiu, commended the Minister for the reforms and pledged the Corps’ continued support for the digital transformation of the education sector.
Nafiu said NYSC had been pursuing digitalisation since 2014 and had developed systems capable of providing reliable information on Corps Members and their deployment.
He disclosed that the Corps had complied with the Federal Executive Council’s directive on collaboration with NERD and was prepared to deepen its partnership with the Ministry.
The NYSC boss said technology had significantly strengthened the integrity of the Corps’ operations, noting that the introduction of QR codes had virtually eliminated document cloning within the scheme.
He assured the Minister that NYSC would continue to strengthen its verification systems to prevent emerging forms of fraudulent practices.
Nafiu also disclosed that the Corps was working to resolve challenges affecting graduates of part-time National Diploma programmes, HND mobilisation, and the admission of NCE holders into HND programmes.
He said discussions with the new JAMB Registrar had resulted in an understanding to create a window through which graduates affected by discrepancies in names could regularise their records in collaboration with NIMC.
The NYSC DG called for a broader meeting involving the Ministry of Education, JAMB, NIMC, and NYSC to develop a lasting solution to the challenges.
He stressed that a uniform national framework for recording and sequencing names across government education and identity databases, backed by a unique Learner Identification Number, would help prevent similar problems in the future.
Nafiu assured that NYSC would continue to collaborate with the Ministry and other relevant agencies to strengthen verification processes and ensure that qualified graduates were not unfairly excluded from national service.