- Nigerian Education Minister made it known publicly that the Federal Government had issued a directive on underage students
- The minister indicated that the directive will come into effect starting next year, and examination bodies have been notified to comply
- While explaining the rationale behind the directive, the minister said that the policy had existed long before he was appointed to the ministry
Tahir Mamman, the Nigerian Education Minister, revealed that underage students will no longer sit for secondary school leaving certificates such as WAEC, NECO, and others.
Speaking with Channels Television on Sunday, the minister said the policy had existed for a long time and was not introduced by him.
Age limit for WAEC and NECO
The minister announced that starting next year, only candidates over 18 will be allowed to sit for the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council's Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE).
The federal government instructed the institutions in charge of the examination to comply with the directive, as confirmed by Channels Television.
In the words of the minister, he said:
“It is 18 (years). What we did at the meeting that we had with JAMB (in July) was to allow this year and for it to serve as a kind of notice for parents that this year, JAMB will admit students who are below that age but from next year, JAMB is going to insist that anybody applying to go to university in Nigeria meets the required age which is 18.
“For the avoidance of doubt, this is not a new policy; this is a policy that has been there for a long time.
“Even basically if you compute the number of years pupils, and learners are supposed to be in school, the number you will end up with is 17 and a half – from early child care to primary school to junior secondary school and then senior secondary school. You will end up with 17 and a half by the time they are ready for admission.
“So, we are not coming up with new policy contrary to what some people are saying; we are just simply reminding people of what is existing.
“In any case, NECO and WAEC, henceforth, will not be allowing underage children to write their examinations. In other words, if somebody has not spent the requisite number of years in that particular level of study, WAEC and NECO will not allow them to write the examination.”
Govt fixes age for admission into tertiary institutions
Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led federal government has pegged the age for admission into tertiary institutions at 18.
Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, made this known at the ongoing policy meeting in Abuja on Thursday, July 18.
.. Source: Legit.ng
