Poly graduates protest proposed exclusion from NYSC

Full time HND graduates with part time National Diploma programmes have expressed their grievances over the proposed exclusion of them from the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) scheme as the registration of second stream Batch C mobilisation begins on Monday (today).

The graduates who stormed the NYSC secretariat in Lagos in the early hours of Monday displayed placards with the inscription ‘Say No To Discrimination in NYSC’, ‘Equal Right for all,’ among others, signalling their demand for mobilisation.

Speaking on their behalf, Majaro Temitope, who finished his HND programme at Yaba College of Technology, expressed fears over the proposed NYSC policy to exclude them for service, describing it as discriminatory

“Many of us here did ND part time and we switched to HND full time. We were told that there is a policy that many of us who did ND part time will be denied service while we know that many of us struggled with life during our ND.

“We just pray and hope that our peaceful protest will not be more than this because we asked some of our colleagues to wait behind us so that we can have a dialogue,” he said.

He added that concerned graduates had written to appropriate bodies to intervene but no response, calling on the Director-General, NYSC and Minister of Education to come to their aid.

“We have written letters to the DG, JAMB before now, so we just plead with the federal government, the ministry of education to please help us look into this matter because it is not fair at all because you are judging my service by my ND.

“Please help us look into this policy and address this matter because the registration has started today and we have not even registered yet,” he said.

Adebola Osunfunrewa, a representative of the Education Rights Campaign, described the proposed exclusion of HND graduates with part time National Diploma as the backwardness of the country’s education.

He stated, “This is another version of the fact that Nigeria’s education system is collapsing. How will you have over 3000 students begging to serve their fatherland in a country where we have teachers’ shortages?”

The Lagos Coordinator, NYSC, Christiana Salwang represented by the Assistant Director, Ehimuenma Itohan, assured the graduates of positive responses, saying their petitions had been forwarded to the director general at the national directorate headquarters.

“Your protest is well noted and we have taken into consideration to convey your grievance to the highest level of management in the NYSC and that is the director general at the national directorate headquarters.

“The matter is being looked into and I want you to exercise calmess to be able to wait for the outcome. What I want to assure you is that the director general of the NYSC is a father and he is very much concerned about whatever he knows is your grievance and I know he will not do anything outside the stipulated guidelines or policies,” she said.