- Hassan Soweto, a critical stakeholder in the education sector in Nigeria, has condemned the decision of the federal government to peg the age at which students can write the SSCE at 18
- Soweto reacted to the recent announcement by the minister of education, Professor Tahir Mamman, that from 2025, any candidate who is not up to 18 will not be allowed to write the examination
- The activist, who spoke in an interview seen by Legit.ng on Thursday, August 29, expressed disappointment with the development
FCT, Abuja - Hassan Soweto, the national coordinator of the Education Rights Campaign, has asked the federal government of Nigeria to immediately suspend the 18-year age limit on NECO and WAEC examinations.
Legit.ng reports that NECO—the National Examinations Council (NECO)—and WAEC, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), are examination boards in Africa.
NECO conducts the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination and the General Certificate in Education in June/July and November/December respectively. WAEC on the other hand oversees the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
18-year age limit: FG told to engage stakeholders
Reacting to the comment by the minister of education, Professor Tahir Mamman, that from 2025, any candidate, who is not up to 18 will not be allowed to write the examinations and without doing so, such candidate would not be able to seek admission into tertiary institutions, Soweto accused Mamman of forcing Nigerians into a needless controversy.
Arise News quoted Soweto as saying:
“It is wrong to blanket early entry into the university for a candidate as an automatic recipe for failure. The minister of education, by his actions, will punish thousands of young brilliant minds for lapses by the regulatory body of the ministry of education.
“This policy must be suspended to give room for further engagement with stakeholders to critically analyse the metrics and place things in proper perspectives.”
Watch the interview with education expert, Hassan Soweto, below:
