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Prof. Tahir Mamman, the minister of Education on Monday, made it clear that the Nigerian government is considering the adoption of 18 years as the minimum entry age for securing admission into universities and other tertiary academic institutions

The minister also pointed out that underage and mediocre students are being responsible for some of the problems being paraded out in higher institutions.

Academic Staff Union of Universities' president, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, backs the proposition by the Federal Government and labelled it as a welcome development

“We are in full support. It is the right thing. What the minister said is the correct thing,”Source The president of ASUU said in corroboration of the minister's statement

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He made it clear further that the issue of age benchmark is not a new thing only that the regulators have been lagging behind on the issue which allows it to be rampant in some tertiary institutions of learning.

“In those days, you could not go to primary school if you were not six years old. Then you spend six years and finish at age 12; and then by the time you get to secondary school you spend six years and then you graduate by 18,”Source  Osodeke said

The standard admission age that is currently adopted by most tertiary institutions in the country is 16 years unless a candidate is naturally and talented

In 2021, the Senate made moves and plans to amend the law providing the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, to limit the age of a participant sitting the UTME to 16 years and more

The Vice Chairman then, Senate Committee on Basic Education, Senator Akon Eyakenyi, made it clear during the committee’s visit to JAMB, saying this would checkmate underage from partaking in the examination, to gain admission into Nigerian universities and institutions of higher learning.

But Mamman, speaking while doing oversight review and monitoring the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination in Abuja, urged and cautioned parents and guardians against pushing their wards ‘too much’.

This, he proceeded by buttressing further that it would allow them to gain some level of maturity in order to better manage and decide their affairs.

This newspaper reports that about 1,985,642 candidates are scheduled to participate in 2024 UTME of the JAMB, which is to begin on Friday, April 19, and to be concluded on Monday, April 29.

Pointing out during one of the inspection of one of the examination centre on Monday, the minister pointed out and quoted as saying;

"The other thing which we notice is the age of those who have applied to go to the university. Some of them are too young. We are going to look at it because they are too young to understand what a university education is all about."Source

He made it apparent that the university settings and learning environment is the stage when students migrate from a controlled arena to where they manage and have a say in their personal decisions and affairs.

The minister buttressed his position on the issue that being too young won't allow a student to run his academic journey effectively and productively as that account to some of the problems being noticed in the universities.

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“We are going to look at that; 18 is the entry age for university but you will see students, 15, and 16, going to the examination. It is not good for us. Parents should be encouraged not to push their wards or children too much.”Source

The minister applaud JAMB for a seamless and and smoothly ran examination process, saying that the application of technology had assisted in curbing the cases of examination malpractices up to the minimal level

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Cross-posted from my Blurt Account