FG Sets Minimum Entry Age into Tertiary Institutions to 18


On Monday, reports emerged that the Federal Government of Nigeria has set 18 years as the minimum entry age into tertiary institutions across the country. The directive was declared by Tahir Mamman, the Minister of Education, during a monitoring exercise of the ongoing 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Bwari, FCT.

Mamman expressed his concerns over parents forcefully pushing their underage children to seek admission into tertiary institutions before they are old enough. He explained that the 18-year benchmark aligns with the 6-3-3-4 education system and that admissions should not be given to candidates below the said age.

“The minimum age of entry into the university is 18, but we have seen students who are 15 or 16 years old going in for the entrance examination,” Mamman said. “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 the whole university education system.”

This directive is a welcome development in the education sector, as it will allow students more time to mature and decide regarding their career choices. Some of the concerns surrounding young students entering tertiary institutions include their level of maturity and the potential for undue influence and manipulation by others. Additionally, the new directive will help curb cases of students gaining admission with forged documents, including age falsification.

It is hoped that, going forward, parents and guardians will take heed of this new directive and allow their children and wards to attain the appropriate age before gaining admission into tertiary institutions. This way, they can better understand and appreciate the value of higher education and their responsibilities as young adults.

 

Babatunde Adesanya.                                      LV


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