The National Board for Technical Education has blamed some polytechnics and other tertiary institutions for the delay in the mobilisation of their graduates for the National Youth Service Corps.
Findings showed that many Higher National Diploma graduates from polytechnics across the country have remained stranded for months, and in some cases, years, after completing their programmes while awaiting mobilisation for the national service scheme.
Some of the affected graduates attributed the delay to administrative bottlenecks within their institutions as well as the limited mobilisation quota allocated by the scheme.
However, the board said the delays were largely caused by institutions’ failure to comply with established academic procedures and poor documentation of students’ records.
The Executive Secretary of the board, Idris Bugaje, disclosed this through the NBTE NYSC Desk Officer, Dauda Baba-Halal.
Speaking with PUNCH Online on Sunday, Bugaje said some institutions fail to enforce the mandatory one-year Industrial Training required after the National Diploma before students proceed to the Higher National Diploma.
According to him, there is a long-standing policy requiring ND graduates to undergo a compulsory one-year Industrial Training before proceeding to HND programmes.
He lamented that some institutions violate the policy by admitting students directly into HND programmes immediately after completing their ND.
“This policy has existed for a long time, but unfortunately, some institutions violate it by admitting their students into HND without allowing them to complete the mandatory one-year Industrial Training,” he said.
Bugaje explained that such violations often create problems during verification and affect the eligibility of graduates for mobilisation into the NYSC scheme.
“If a student proceeds to HND without completing the mandatory one-year Industrial Training, the NYSC will not mobilise that student because the academic progression is incomplete,” he added.
He noted that the board had strengthened its verification process through its HND Admission Portal to ensure that students follow the required academic sequence.
According to him, the board plays a regulatory and verification role in ensuring that only properly qualified graduates from accredited programmes are mobilised for national service.
Bugaje explained that the board is responsible for regulating and coordinating technical and vocational education in polytechnics and similar institutions across the country.
He added that one of the major responsibilities of the board is the accreditation and approval of National Diploma and Higher National Diploma programmes offered by polytechnics.
“Only graduates from programmes accredited by the NBTE are eligible to be considered for mobilisation into the NYSC scheme,” he said.
Bugaje further explained that the board created the HND Admission Portal as a national database for students admitted into HND programmes.
He said institutions are required to upload the records of their HND students to the portal to enable the board to verify their academic history and ensure that proper admission procedures were followed.
The NBTE boss also clarified that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board is only responsible for admissions into the National Diploma programme and has no role in the mobilisation of graduates for the NYSC.
He added that institutions facing mobilisation challenges should formally communicate such issues to the NBTE or NYSC for clarification and resolution.
Credit: Punchng
