The Federal Government is intensifying its fight against fake academic certificates by moving to integrate education records with the National Youth Service Corps mobilisation system.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Tuesday during a meeting with the NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, in Abuja.
Alausa said the planned digital integration would strengthen the verification of academic qualifications and help ensure that genuine graduates are not denied opportunities because of errors or inconsistencies in their records.
He said the government is developing a system capable of tracking learners and linking their academic records across different stages of education. The ministry is also proposing a national Learner Identification Number to provide students with a unique identity throughout their educational journey.
According to the minister, discussions are also underway on an application that would enable the direct exchange of relevant information between the education system and NYSC, making certificate verification faster during mobilisation.
He identified discrepancies in names and concerns over the authenticity of certain qualifications as some of the challenges the new system is expected to address.
The initiative comes as the government steps up measures to prevent fraudulent academic credentials from being used to secure employment or gain access to national service.
Speaking at the meeting, NYSC Director-General Brigadier General Nafiu expressed the Corps’ readiness to deepen its collaboration with the Ministry of Education.
He noted that digital safeguards, including QR-coded documents, had already helped curb document forgery within the NYSC system.
The government says the broader goal is to establish a reliable digital education records system that safeguards legitimate graduates while closing loopholes exploited by holders of fraudulent qualifications.
