The Founder of Afe Babalola University Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Aare Afe Babalola, has cautioned the Federal Government against pegging admission to tertiary institutions at 18 years, saying that doing so could hamper the development of gifted children.

The legal icon, who stated this on Thursday at the ABUAD campus in Ado-Ekiti while reacting to a statement credited to the Education Minister, Professor Tahir Mamman, on the 18-year minimum age for WAEC, NECO, and university admission, said that such a policy is against the autonomy of universities, which have the discretion to grant exceptions in cases of gifted children.

Recall that Mamman, when asked in a television program whether the status quo for the minimum age of admission into higher institutions was 16 or 18, said, “It is 18 (years).

He said, “What we did at the meeting that we had with JAMB was to allow underage candidates this year and for it to serve as a kind of notice for parents.

“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.

“In any case, NECO and WAEC, henceforth, will not be allowing underage children to write their examinations.”

Babalola, who disagreed with the minister that students below 18 years are not mature for university education, declared that age is not maturity.

He said, “Children are now demonstrating exceptional academic intelligence, which is not common at their ages. I strongly believe that no child deserves to have his or her dreams impugned upon by reason of age alone.

“Elaine Aaron, the American psychologist and the author of the international best-seller ‘Highly Sensitive Person,’ said: ‘What could we need more right now than people who think carefully, feel deeply, notice the subtle details, and end up having the big picture?’

“These four qualities are essential to nation-building. Age is not one of them, nor is it a requirement to obtain any of them.

“Maturity is not a function of age. Rather, it is a function of mindset, emotional intelligence, and the ability to understand oneself and the world. Maturity is earned from training the mind, not from ageing. Consequently, we have many adults who are all but mature in the way they think, act, or relate with others and the world they live in.

“University autonomy includes, among other things, the discretion to waive the minimum age requirements for students who pass the minimum admission requirements and possess exceptional academic potential.

“This is as obtainable in the UK, Australia, Norway, and South Korea. It should not be within the competence of the Federal Government to direct that students of certain ages are disqualified from entering into tertiary institutions after they have met all other admission requirements.”

The Founder and Chancellor of ABUAD insisted that the decision lies between the students and the university, saying that there have been instances where students were admitted at the age of 16 and graduated with first class.

He said it is the duty of the university to exercise that discretion, and this discretion will continue at ABUAD for gifted children.