By Felix Khanoba
The Federal Government has announced plans to introduce a National Learner Identification Number and integrate education records across government agencies in a fresh bid to curb certificate racketeering and prevent qualified graduates from being denied opportunities due to discrepancies in their records.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Tuesday during a meeting with the Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig. Gen. Olakunle Nafiu, who led a delegation of the Corps to the Ministry.
Alausa said the digital reforms being implemented under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda were designed to strengthen the integrity of Nigeria’s education system and ensure that genuine students and graduates were not disadvantaged.
According to a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Ikharo Attah, said the minister revealed that the initiative would establish a more reliable system for identifying learners and authenticating academic qualifications from the beginning of their educational journey.
According to the minister, the Nigerian Education Repository Data Bank is currently collecting and verifying university certificates, while the Nigerian Education Data Infrastructure will connect records across different stages of a learner’s education.
Alausa also disclosed that the Ministry had digitised its Education Support Services end-to-end, including certificate verification and processes involving foreign applicants.
He said discussions were ongoing with NYSC on an application programming interface that would allow both institutions to exchange relevant data and carry out verification more quickly and seamlessly.
The minister said the reforms would help resolve administrative and data-related problems that had prevented some qualified graduates from participating fully in national service and the labour market.
He identified discrepancies in names, issues involving graduates of part-time National Diploma programmes and the admission of National Certificate in Education holders into Higher National Diploma programmes as some of the challenges requiring urgent attention.
Alausa said the Ministry would work with the National Board for Technical Education, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, National Identity Management Commission and other stakeholders to develop lasting solutions.
He said a consistent national framework for recording and sequencing names across government education and identity databases would be developed alongside the proposed Learner Identification Number.
The minister said the measure would ensure that accurate and consistent identity records were established from the beginning of a learner’s educational journey.
He added that the government had also intensified measures against examination malpractice, including the leakage of examination questions, while stressing the need to extend the gains to tertiary institutions.
On his part, NYSC Director-General, Brig. Gen. Olakunle Nafiu, commended Alausa 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 providing reliable information on Corps Members and their deployment.
He said the Corps had complied with the Federal Executive Council’s directive on collaboration with the Nigerian Education Repository Data Bank and was ready to deepen its partnership with the Ministry.
According to him, the deployment of QR codes had virtually eliminated document cloning within NYSC, demonstrating the impact of technology in protecting the integrity of its operations.
Nafiu also disclosed that NYSC was working to address 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 produced an understanding to create a window for graduates affected by discrepancies in names to regularise their records in collaboration with NIMC.
The NYSC boss called for a broader meeting involving JAMB, NIMC, NYSC and the Ministry of Education to develop a permanent solution to the challenges.
He stressed that a uniform national framework for recording and sequencing names, backed by a unique Learner Identification Number, would prevent similar problems in the future.
Nafiu assured the minister that NYSC would continue working with the Ministry and other relevant agencies to strengthen verification systems and ensure qualified graduates were not unfairly excluded from national service.
Reaffirming the government’s commitment to the reforms, Alausa said the Ministry would sustain its collaboration 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 strength of merit and hard work.
Alausa added that the reforms reflected President Tinubu’s commitment under the Renewed Hope Agenda to building a more transparent, efficient and productive Nigeria.
