NYSC Exclusion Should Not Define Open Varsity Graduates-Vice Chancellor

The Vice Chancellor of Miva Open University, Professor Tayo Arulogun, has said the exclusion of graduates of open universities from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) should not determine their prospects in the Nigerian labour market.

Arulogun said the university was encouraging its students to gain practical experience through mandatory internships, volunteering, mentoring and direct interaction with industry, noting that such exposure could give graduates an advantage when they enter the workforce.

Speaking on the university’s journey and vision for the future of higher education in Nigeria in Abuja on Wednesday, the Vice Chancellor also disclosed that Miva had received another major regulatory milestone, with the NUC granting the university full operational licensing on September 23.

He noted that the issue of NYSC participation remained unresolved despite previous indications from the federal government that graduates of open universities should be allowed to participate in the scheme.

“On the aspect of NYSC, we are putting priorities to it, but at times it takes a longer time. When government wants to change something, you will recall that in 2025, at the convocation, the President mentioned that graduates from open universities should be allowed to serve.

“But that has not actually translated to reality,” Arulogun said.

Rather than allowing the issue to become a barrier to the progress of its graduates, he said Miva was preparing students to compete effectively in the labour market by ensuring that they leave the university with practical skills and work experience.

“What I want to say also is that we should start adapting. We should start changing because as a graduate from an open university, you have more advantage if you have something you have done. If you have the skill, it means you have that one year to showcase yourself,” he said.

According to him, Miva has made a six-month internship compulsory for all its students, irrespective of their programmes, while students are also encouraged to volunteer their skills and services to organisations.

Arulogun added that the university expected students to accumulate several years of practical exposure before graduation, noting that organisations where students volunteered could eventually employ them.

“When you look at our statistics from our graduates, 70 per cent of them are already employed with this approach,” the Vice Chancellor said.

Arulogun said the university was established in March 2023 by the Unesi Group and was licensed by the National Universities Commission (NUC) two months later, making it one of Nigeria’s early private open universities.

The institution, he said began with eight disciplines but has since expanded to five undergraduate schools, including Communication and Media Studies, and is now offering eight postgraduate programmes, including Doctor of Business Administration, Master of Business Administration, Master of Public Administration, Master of Public Health and Master of Information Technology.

According to him, Miva’s concept of access goes beyond simply providing students with internet-based lectures, as the university has established physical support study centres in Lagos, Jos, Abuja, Ibadan, Abeokuta, Oyo and Port Harcourt, with Kaduna being the latest addition.

He said the centres provide students with reliable electricity, connectivity, conducive learning environments and quiet workspaces while retaining the flexibility associated with open and online education.

He said the development meant that the university and its take-off programmes had attained the required full accreditation status.

The university’s Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, Paul Ehiagbonare, said Miva’s approach to learning was also designed to ensure that students could apply knowledge to real-world problems.

He said the institution was deliberately moving away from a system where students merely memorised information for examinations.

“In the laboratory, they build things with their hands. So learning sticks when you do it, and not just when you memorise it,” Ehiagbonare said.

He said the university wanted students to graduate with the ability to apply what they had learnt to practical challenges.

“Our goal for our students is that they learn to become, not just to pass,” he said.