NYSC, on its official Facebook handle, announced that HND graduates must provide evidence of completing their one-year mandatory IT certificate before being registered in their respective camps.
It stated, “Graduates of Higher National Diploma (HND) are to provide evidence of completion of their one-year Industrial Training in addition to ND and HND Certificates/Statement of Results.”
With this mandate, polytechnic and mono-technic graduates mobilised for Batch B stream II without evidence of the mandatory one-year industrial training will miss out on the national service.
The policy shift means that without a valid IT certificate, HND graduates cannot proceed with registration in the camp. Thus, many graduates now face the task of securing proof of their internship experience and risk missing participation in the next orientation camp, scheduled for August 28, 2024.
Reports that the one-year mandatory IT programme is a prerequisite for admission to the HND programme, as stated in the law.
According to the law, graduates of polytechnics and monotechnics must undergo the one-year IT with evidence of completion before applying for a HND academic programme, and institutions must confirm this before admitting them.
Unfortunately, our correspondent gathered that most of these HND awarding institutions do not confirm the IT-compliance before admitting students, thus graduating thousands of students who now face hurdles to participate in national service after being mobilised by the NYSC.
Our investigation further revealed that some polytechnic institutions have previously disregarded these regulations by enrolling students without the required one-year IT certificate.
Giving reason for its decision to enforce the law, the NYSC coordinator in Lagos State, Yetunde Baderinwa, said, “It has been noticed in recent times that some graduates of polytechnics and mono-technics do not observe the mandatory one-year IT before being admitted for HND programmes. The one-year IT is a prerequisite for HND.
“They must undergo the one-year IT with evidence of completion before going for HND, and institutions must confirm this before admitting them for HND.”
However, some affected HND graduates have called for leniency in their national service eligibility, pleading with the NYSC to intervene with their polytechnic institutions and allow them to serve the fatherland since they had already been mobilised for Batch B Stream II.
