The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) has faced hurdles regarding its students’ participation in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program.
This is due to the university’s distinct structure as an open and distance learning institution, which doesn’t conform to the traditional requirements of NYSC involvement, necessitating physical presence on a university campus for a designated period.
The genesis of this situation can be traced back to the establishment of NOUN.
During the Fourth National Development Plan (1981-1985), the National University Commission (NUC), under the leadership of Prof. Jubril Aminu, proposed the creation of an autonomous Open University for Nigeria.
The Federal Government embraced this proposition and later incorporated into the National Policy on Education in 1977.
Section Five Paragraphs 40, Sub-section A of the Policy emphasised the government’s commitment to extending higher education access through various means, including universities, correspondence courses, open universities, part-time, and work-study programs.
The ineligibility lies in NUC’s regulations, which bar individuals enrolled in part-time studies from participating in the NYSC.
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This restriction is rooted in the original act establishing NOUN, which describes the university’s mode of instruction as correspondence-based, thus categorising it as part-time education and rendering its students ineligible for NYSC enrollment.
Efforts to address this discrepancy have been ongoing.
In 2018, the Nigerian Senate passed a bill to grant NOUN graduates the opportunity to participate in the NYSC and enroll in the Nigerian Law School.
This legislative action marked a significant stride toward integrating NOUN graduates into national service programs, hinting at a potential shift in policy to accommodate NOUN’s unique educational framework.
