HND graduates kick against plan, decries late hour policy change as unfair
Full-time Higher National Diploma (HND) graduates who previously completed part-time National Diploma (ND) programmes have voiced strong opposition to the proposal to exclude them from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
Apart from the original aim of the NYSC to foster national integration, poor graduates also use their NYSC stipends to pay off debts and to fortify themselves for the harsh realities of the job market that await after the service.
The protest comes as the registration for the second stream of Batch C mobilisation began on January 6.
The HND graduates gathered at the NYSC secretariat in Lagos early on Monday morning, holding placards with inscriptions such as “Say No To Discrimination in NYSC” and “Equal Rights for All,” demanding their inclusion in the mobilisation.
Temitope Majaro, an HND graduate from Yaba College of Technology (Yabatech), Lagos, who spoke on behalf of the protesters, expressed concerns over their proposed exclusion.
He described the policy as discriminatory, citing how many of them had worked hard to transition from part-time ND courses to full-time HND.
“Many of us here did ND part-time and later switched to full-time HND. We were not told there is a policy that will deny us the opportunity to serve, despite the struggles we faced during our ND years,” he lamented.
Majaro disclosed that they had written letters to relevant authorities seeking intervention, but have yet to receive a response. He urged the NYSC Director General and the Education Minister to address the issue.
“We’ve already written to the [NYSC] Director General and JAMB [Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board] about this matter.
“We just hope the federal government and Ministry of Education will review this unfair policy, especially since the registration has already started and we have yet to register,” he stressed.
A representative of the Education Rights Campaign, Adebola Osunfunrewa, criticised the policy as a reflection of the deterioration of Nigeria’s education system.
“This policy is another sign that Nigeria’s education system is collapsing. How can over 3,000 students be begging to serve in a country that is facing severe teacher shortages?” he wondered.
Lagos NYSC Coordinator, represented by Assistant Director Ehimuenma Itohan, assured the graduates that their concerns have been forwarded to the Director General at the national headquarters in Abuja.
Said he: “Your protest has been duly noted, and we have escalated your grievance to the highest level of management in NYSC.
“The Director General is a father figure who deeply cares about the concerns of the youth, and I assure you that he will consider all aspects of the matter in line with the existing guidelines and policies.”
– The PUNCH.
Read also:
JAMB generates N22.9b revenue from students in one year, remits N6b to federal treasury
.){kind=link}