FG MANDATES THESIS SUBMISSION FOR NYSC MOBILISATION
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By Sunmisola Shodayo
The Federal Government has sanctioned a policy mandating the submission of students’ theses and final year projects to the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank as a prerequisite for mobilization into the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
The press has learned that effective from October 6, no graduate, whether educated in Nigeria or overseas, will be mobilized for or granted exemption from the NYSC without evidence of compliance.
The new directive was outlined in a circular issued by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, who communicated President Bola Tinubu’s approval on Saturday.
The circular indicated that the “NYSC mobilisation criteria [have been adjusted] in accordance with the President’s regulation requiring proof of NERD Policy compliance for all prospective corps members, regardless of where they were educated.”
The policy stipulates that all students must submit their academic outputs, including theses or project reports, to the national database. According to Section 6.1.23 of the NERD guidelines, this initiative serves “as a quality assurance check and as a yearly independent proof of continuous academic enrolment and affiliation.”
Clarifying the purpose of the reform, NERD spokesperson, Haula Galadima, stated, “Apart from the mandate to verify for authenticity as a national flagship, the NERD digitisation programme has a clear objective, to raise the bar in the quality of academic content, output and presentation nationwide.”
She noted that the database will encompass every detail of the academic work submitted.
“Each item shall feature the full name of the student, those of his supervisor, co-supervisor if any, and that of the Head of Department, as well as the sponsoring institution and department,” Galadima elaborated.
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Regarding the significance of this initiative for university supervision, she emphasized:
“If our eminent scholars are aware that their names will appear next to those of the students they supervise on a globally available digital platform, there is the likelihood that each lecturer would up his or her standard.
“Very few lecturers would want their names associated with poorly produced academic works.”
In March, while announcing the activation of the NERD policy, Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, underscored that the submission of academic outputs would become mandatory.
“The approved stipulations for mandatory submission of academic outputs as provided in Sections 2.3, 4.3(1), and 7.6.11(c), among others, of the approved National Policy for the NERD Programme shall become obligatory requirements in Nigeria,” Alausa stated.
A copy of the endorsed policy also disclosed that President Tinubu approved a monetization mechanism for academic outputs to reward both students and lecturers.
“This ensures students and lecturers can earn lifetime revenues from their academic deposits,” the document noted.
According to the SGF’s circular, the enforcement will extend to all graduates from Nigerian universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and international institutions.
It clarified that the new regulations “do not affect serving corps members or those mobilised before the October 6 enforcement date.”
Through this reform, the Federal Government aims to combat certificate fraud, protect Nigeria’s intellectual property, and enhance the integrity of higher education qualifications.
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