The Nigeria Union of Teachers has criticized the Federal Government’s decision to prohibit candidates under 18 from taking the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the National Examination Council (NECO) exams, even as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) expressed support for the policy.
The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, announced during an appearance on Channels Television’s ‘Sunday Politics’ that the Federal Government has implemented a new age requirement for secondary school leaving examinations, setting the minimum age at 18.
This policy means that underage candidates will no longer be permitted to sit for WASSCE and NECO, both essential for progression to higher education.
The directive also extends to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), which administers WASSCE, and the National Examinations Council (NECO), which conducts the SSCE. Furthermore, Mamman confirmed that the minimum age for taking the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), administered by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), will also be set at 18.
He noted that this was not a new policy.
“For the avoidance of doubt, this is not a new policy; this is a policy that has been there for a long time,” Mamman stated.
“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 a 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.”
The minister provided a detailed timeline for the number of years students are expected to spend from early care through senior secondary school. He explained that early care is expected to cover the first five years, with pupils starting primary one at age six, spending six years in primary school, and then moving to junior secondary school at age 12. After three years in junior secondary, students are expected to enter senior secondary school at age 15, spending another three years before advancing to university at age 18.
Last month, during a meeting with JAMB and other education stakeholders, Mamman reiterated that the minimum age for sitting the UTME should be set at 18.
“JAMB is hereby notified that there is now a ban on underage students, those under the age of 18, from our tertiary institutions for the 2024 admissions… It doesn’t require a statement of the minister… we are only restating what is in the law.” Mamman stated.
The policy faced criticism, particularly from university stakeholders, as many underage candidates had already taken the UTME without prior knowledge of the directive. This created concerns for 16- and 17-year-olds who had passed the UTME and were seeking university admission.
In response to the backlash, the minister temporarily reversed the directive, permitting 16-year-old candidates to be admitted to universities as previously allowed, until 2025.
However, during Sunday’s announcement, Mamman asserted that the policy would be enforced moving forward, with no plans to reverse it.
“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.”
However, the Secretary-General of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Dr. Mike Ene, stated in an interview that societal changes, such as early enrollment in crèches driven by economic pressures, make it unrealistic to impose age restrictions on learning.
“The only way this policy could work is if it’s implemented from the foundation. By that, I mean starting at the primary school level. In the past, before a child was allowed to start school, they had to pass a basic test — like reaching their hand over their head to touch the opposite ear. If they couldn’t, they were sent back home.
“However, things have changed. Nowadays, due to economic pressures, parents enroll their children in crèches early, which means both parents have to work,” Ene told The PUNCH.
“Teachers at these crèches begin to educate the children, and they start learning quickly. You can’t stop them from learning because the brain is structured to keep developing once learning stops, the brain stagnates.”
Ene further argued that the policy fails to account for exceptional students who, despite being younger, are academically advanced. He warned that this oversight could lead to legal challenges and urged the government to reconsider the policy, describing it as poorly conceived.
“You also have to consider exceptional students. Some students are 16 years old in SS3. Is the minister taking these scenarios into account? What are these students supposed to do? Wait two more years? I see this as a policy that could lead to numerous legal challenges. The government needs to rethink this thoroughly. It is poorly conceived.”
The National President of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Mr. Shammah Kpanja, also weighed in, stating that the decision to allow students under 18 to sit for exams should be based on their capabilities. He argued that gifted students might not require the full years of schooling.
Kpanja urged the government to prioritize addressing critical issues such as providing functional equipment in schools, tackling infrastructure deficits, and improving teachers’ welfare, rather than focusing on exam age restrictions.
“One issue with policy is that if it’s not realistic, it can lead to distorted information. The decision of whether a student should be 18 or younger to sit for exams should depend on the student’s abilities. Some students are exceptionally gifted and don’t need to spend all those years in school if they demonstrate a high level of intelligence.
“What we need is for the government to ensure that basic schools are equipped with functional facilities. In some villages around Abuja, you’ll find children sitting on the ground in schools, with many buildings lacking roofs. These are the real issues that need addressing. The welfare of teachers and the availability of functional libraries in most public secondary schools are also lacking. These should be the government’s targets addressing infrastructure deficits instead of focusing on mundane matters.”
Source: PUNCH
