The Federal Government is considering introducing compulsory assessment tests for Nigerians who obtained degrees from foreign universities before approving their mobilisation into the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
Acting Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, Dr Folake Olatunji-David, disclosed this earlier today, November 9, at the 37th meeting of the National Standing Committee (NSC) on Evaluation of Foreign Qualifications in Abuja.
She said the proposed assessment would determine whether foreign-trained graduates had acquired the necessary knowledge and met the required academic standards before their certificates were evaluated for NYSC mobilisation.
Olatunji-David said the move had become necessary due to the growing number of Nigerians studying abroad, particularly in West African countries, and increasing concerns over certificate forgery.
“We must ensure that the standard of education in Nigeria is not lowered by allowing all manner of foreign qualifications that are not recognised to be paraded by Nigerians without the corresponding learning achievement,” she said.
She stressed that although the government supported international education and global interaction, it would not compromise academic standards.
“We want to ensure that, yes, for every certificate given, they are earned, and they can produce people that can contribute positively to our national development,” she said.
“I therefore invite this committee once again to consider, if necessary, an assessment test before such graduates are evaluated for NYSC.”
The acting permanent secretary described the committee as central to protecting the integrity of Nigeria’s education system by ensuring that only genuine qualifications from accredited foreign institutions received recognition.
She also disclosed that the ministry had automated and digitalised the evaluation of foreign certificates and authentication of Nigerian certificates since the beginning of 2026.
According to her, the digital system had made the process more seamless, while fees collected were being remitted into government accounts to improve revenue generation.
The committee is also expected to consider guidelines for issuing no-objection letters required to register proposed educational institutions with the Corporate Affairs Commission.
Other matters on its agenda include ensuring that foreign-curriculum secondary schools in Nigeria prepare students for at least one recognised public examination conducted by WAEC, NECO, NABTEB or NBAIS before graduation.
The committee will also deliberate on the recognition of foreign secondary school qualifications, monitoring Nigerians studying in African institutions and establishing diplomatic channels to verify the accreditation status of foreign universities.
Earlier, the ministry’s Director of Education Support Services, Gabriel Amudipe, urged members to uphold fairness and objectivity in evaluating foreign qualifications.
He said their decisions were crucial to improving learning outcomes, institutional performance and quality assurance across Nigeria’s education sector.
