Education Minister Insists on 18 Years for University Admission

Tahir Mamman, minister of education, dashed the expectations of parents and guardians hoping the federal government would change their mind on implementing the 18 years minimum age for entry into Nigerian universities when he reaffirmed the decision in Abuja on Thursday, September 26.

At his 64th independence anniversary press briefing, Mamman was asked to explain his recent stance of 18 years as the minimum entry age into Nigerian universities.

He had directed vice chancellors not to admit applicants who are less than 18 years into the university from the 2025 admission. They will also not be allowed to write the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Examination, (JAME) though they are free to write the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). Journalists asked Mamman to clarify his statement.

“Our laws, the Universal Basic Education Act and the Minimum Standards Policy Act, established in 1993, prescribe age limits and provisions for each education level,” he argued.

“A child is expected to enter school at six years of age, complete six years of primary school, three years of junior secondary, and three years of senior secondary. However, parents have been hurrying their children, getting them into school too early, sometimes skipping key education levels.”

He reaffirmed that the early completion of school by students too young to take on the SSCE is counterproductive.

According to Mamman, “Students need to be adequately prepared to either further their studies or gain employable skills by the time they complete secondary school. Parents rushing their children through school disrupts the learning process. The curriculum we have introduced requires time for students to develop both academically and skillfully.

“The policy is designed to ensure that by the time students graduate from senior secondary school, they will either be ready for tertiary education or equipped with employable skills”.

It is doubtful if Mamman had thoroughly considered the burden of his decision on parents and the students. According to education professionals, the implementation will disrupt the lives and education of six sets of early starters who are presently in elementary one to six. Many of them who started school early will have to wait two years at home waiting to be 18. After two years at home, many of them will not be able to pass the JAME due to mental rustiness.

Opinions are divided on this controversial policy. The Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, is against it; while the Academic Staff of Union of Universities, ASUU, supports it. At the receiving end are parents/guardians and the hapless students who are wailing already. Implementation of this policy will create more crisis for the Tinubu administration, whose rating has crumbled due to unpopular policies that have brought economic hardship to the masses.