By Adam Mosadioluwa

Copyright tribuneonlineng

The Federal Government has made it mandatory for graduates to submit their theses or final year projects into the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD) before they can be mobilised for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

The policy, which takes effect from October 6, stipulates that no graduate, whether trained in Nigeria or abroad, will be mobilised for or exempted from the NYSC without proof of compliance.

The directive was contained in a circular issued by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, who conveyed President Bola Tinubu’s approval on Saturday.

The circular stated 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.”

Under the policy, all students are required to upload their academic work to the national database. Section 6.1.23 of the NERD guidelines describes the measure “as a quality assurance check and as a yearly independent proof of continuous academic enrolment and affiliation.”

NERD spokesperson, Haula Galadima, explained that the initiative aims to boost the standard of academic output across the country. “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 added that the repository will carry full details of deposited works. “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,” she said.

On its impact for university supervision, Galadima noted: “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.”

Earlier in March, Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, had declared the NERD policy effective, stressing that submission of theses and projects would be compulsory.

“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 said.

The approved document also showed that President Tinubu backed an academic output monetisation mechanism designed to reward both students and lecturers. “This ensures students and lecturers can earn lifetime revenues from their academic deposits,” the policy stated.

According to the SGF’s circular, the enforcement applies to graduates of Nigerian universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and foreign institutions.

It clarified that the new rules “do not affect serving corps members or those mobilised before the October 6 enforcement date.”

The Federal Government said the reform is intended to curb certificate racketeering, protect Nigeria’s intellectual property, and improve the credibility of higher education qualifications.

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