Atiku rejects age limit for admission into universities, others
Former Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Wednesday said the policy on age limit for admission into tertiary institutions should be condemned.
The Nigerian Federal Government recently announced a new policy setting the minimum age for writing the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) and the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination at 18 years.
According to the Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, from 2025, any candidate who is not up to 18 will not be allowed to write the SSCE, effectively barring them from seeking admission into tertiary institutions.
He said the policy was to ensure that students are emotionally and intellectually mature before they proceed to higher education.
Reacting to the policy, Atiku described it as an absurdity and a disincentive to scholarship.
Atiku stated that the policy runs foul of the notion of delineation of responsibilities in a federal system of government such as we are practicing, and gives a graphic impression of how the Tinubu government behaves like a lost sailor on a high sea.
He said the Nigerian constitution puts education in the concurrent list of schedules, in which the sub-national government enjoys more roles above the federal government, therefore, it is extra-constitutional for the federal government to legislate on education like a decree.
“The best global standard for such regulation is to allow the sub-national governments to make respective laws or rules on education,” Atiku wrote on X.
“It is discouraging that even while announcing this obnoxious policy, the government inadvertently said it had no plan to cater for specially gifted pupils. That statement is an embarrassment to the body of intellectuals in the country because it portrays Nigeria as a country where gifted students are not appreciated.
“The irony here is that should the federal government play any role in education, it is to set up mechanisms that will identify and grant scholarships to gifted students not minding their ages before applying for admission into tertiary institutions.
“This controversial policy belongs in the Stone Ages and should be roundly condemned by everyone who believes in intellectual freedom and accessibility.”
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