The Federal Government has issued a new directive to tertiary institutions across Nigeria, instructing them not to admit candidates who are below the age of 18.
This order was given by the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, during a monitoring exercise of the ongoing 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Bwari, Federal Capital Territory.
The minister expressed concern over the pressure exerted by some parents on their underage children to secure admission into tertiary institutions.
He emphasized that the age requirement of 18 years aligns with the 6-3-3-4 system of education.
In his words;
“The minimum age of entry into the University is 18, but we have seen students who are 15, 16 years going in for the entrance examination.”
“Parents should be encouraged not to push their wards too much. Mostly, it is the pressure of parents that is causing this.”
“We are going to look at this development because the candidates are too young to understand what the whole university education is all about.”
“This is the period when children migrate from controlled to uncontrolled environments; when they are in charge of their own affairs.”
“But, if they are too young, they won’t be able to manage properly. I think that is part of what we are seeing in the Universities today”.
He also added concerning skill acquisition saying;
“In overall, it is 20 per cent that can be admitted into the University, Polytechnic and Colleges of Education system.”
“So, where will the 80 per cent go to? That is why the issue of skills acquisition is very important.”
“Any student who is unable to proceed to tertiary institutions should be able to have a meaningful life after primary and secondary school’s education and the only solution to this is skill acquisition.”
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