Can National Youth Service Programs Improve Educational Outcomes? Insights from Nigeria’sNYSC program (Insight Note)

This text discusses the lack of quantitative studies on the welfare impacts of national youth service programs, particularly in African countries. It focuses on Nigeria's National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program and aims to examine the effects of the program on educational outcomes. The text describes the structure of the NYSC program and its objectives, highlighting the importance of education for overall welfare. It also outlines the research questions and methodology, including the use of historical data and a randomized control trial to assess the effects of NYSC participants on educational demand and outcomes. The text emphasizes the need to understand the effects of the program on gender gaps in education and mentions the persistent low educational attainment rates in Nigeria.