WASSCE: NASS wades into controversy

The National Assembly yesterday waded into the controversy generated by the Federal Government’s plan to peg the age limit for students to write the West Africa Senior Secondary School Certificate, WASSCE, examination at 18 years.

It will be recalled that the Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, announced plans on Sunday by the federal government to set the age limit for the examination to 18 years.

This is even as the government’s decision yesterday elicited more condemnations, as former Vice President Abubakar Atiku and civil society organisations, CSOs, described it as archaic and draconian.

They also asked the government to put it on hold and call a meeting of stakeholders in the education sector to deliberate on the matter.

It’ll be subjected to public hearing — Senate

Reacting to the development yesterday, the Senate said it would subject the issue to public hearing when it comes before senators.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu (APC, Ekiti South), said: “The Senate will consider, through it’s relevant committee, public views on any government policy brought to our legislative notice. Whatever is brought to the Senate for constitutional and statutory stamps shall be subjected to legislative crucible which includes public hearings.”

We haven’t been briefed — Reps

On his part, spokesman of the House of Representatives, Akin Rotimi, said the Green Chamber has no position on the matter yet, as members have not been briefed.

‘’I cannot say anything for now. When the House resumes and the matter is brought before it, it will be looked into,” he said.

However, aside from the former vice president, others who reacted included founder of Concerned Parents and Educators Network, CPE, Mrs Yinka Ogunde; the National Coordinator of Education Rights Campaign, ERC, Hassan Soweto; Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education, CHRICED; and Global Rights Nigeria, among others.

They were reacting to the statement by the Minister of Education, on Sunday night that the government had pegged the age at which candidates would sit for the examination at 18 beginning from next year.

The development would also mean that such candidates would not be able to write the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, for placement into higher institutions until they are 18, since candidates need WASSCE results to back up their admission processes.

Mamman had earlier in the year, suggested making 18 the admission age into higher institutions during a stakeholders’ meeting called by JAMB, but was opposed by most of the participants

Policy archaic, barrier to academic freedom — Atiku

Condemning government’s declaration yesterday, Atiku, who was the presidential candidate of People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2023 elections, described the policy thrust as absurd and a barrier to academic freedom.

Atiku aired his thoughts in a piece, titled “Tinubu’s policy on age limit for tertiary education admission belongs in the Stone Ages,” posted on his Facebook page.

He wrote: “The recent policy of the Federal Ministry of Education pegging age limit for entry to tertiary institutions is an absurdity and a disincentive to scholarship.

“The policy runs foul of the delineation of responsibilities in a federal system of government such as we are practising, and gives a graphic impression of how the Tinubu government behaves like a lost sailor on a high sea.
“Otherwise, how is such anti-scholarship regulation the next logical step in the myriad of issues besetting our educational system?

“To be clear, the Nigerian constitution puts education in the concurrent list of schedules, in which the sub-national governments enjoy 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.

“It is discouraging that even while announcing this obnoxious policy, the government inadvertently said it had no plan to cater for specially gifted pupils.

“The 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.”

FG should not act like a military regime —CPE

In her reaction, the founder of CPE, Mrs Yinka Ogunde, noted that the Federal Government has not considered many things before deciding on the policy.

“The Federal Ministry of Education cannot be run by making arbitrary decisions. It has created dilemmas and confusion all over the country. We need to start from the foundation. If stakeholders in the sector agreed that students should be at least 18 before seeking admission to tertiary institutions, among others, it is not something to be done by fiat.

“We will have to start from primary school where no pupil is allowed to be in primary one unless he or she is six years. Then we enforce such and if any private school defaults, the owner can be penalised and if it is a public school, the head teacher can be sanctioned too.

“But to wake up and say from next year, we would do this, is not realistic. We are not in a military regime and people should be consulted.

“If we are starting it this year, what becomes of millions of secondary school students who are not going to clock 18 before they graduate from their schools? We are not in a dictatorship and necessary consultations must be done and if we are starting now, it should be from the foundation, which is primary school,” she said.

No minimum age for marriage but education —Global Rights

Also reacting, Executive Director, Global Rights Nigeria, Abiodun Baiyewu, called on the Federal Government to review the policy.

Baiyewu said: “I think the policy needs to be reviewed, given the global competition Nigerian children will be confronted with, aside taking away their right to be self-determining, and right to development, which are fundamental human rights.

“Most advanced countries mandate that children remain in school till they turn 17 to ensure they get as much education as possible, given that in most systems, they can complete secondary education.

“In Nigeria, education is not compulsory. Nigeria has the most number of out-of-school children in the world (20 million).

“Barring children from accessing higher education till they turn 18 does not guarantee them the security of staying in secondary school till they turn 18. A break in their education might mean the end of their education.

“It is amusing that the government has a minimum age for accessing tertiary education but no minimum age for marriage!
“Thousands of girls are withdrawn from school and married off before they are equipped physically, psychologically and/or economically to contend with marriage and the responsibilities it comes with.

“Even in countries where there are minimum access age, there are exceptions for exceptionally gifted children to access tertiary education or their curriculum before they attain the minimum age.

Another retrogressive policy — ANEEJ

Executive Director, Africa Network for Environmental and Economic Justice, ANEEJ, Rev David Ugolor, disagreed with the policy, describing it as retrogressive.

Ugolor accused policymakers of having their children school abroad and failing to consider children back home.

He said: “This is another retrogressive policy that will retard the progress of the country. Unfortunately, most of the policy makers have their families outside the country and they continue to release policies that have no basis for progress.

“The issue of age looks absurd, considering global best practice. I would like to see evidence why this policy will be a good option because the government hardly cares about data.”

Suspend policy immediately – ERC

Similarly, the National Coordinator of Education Rights Campaign, ERC, Hassan Taiwo Soweto, called for immediate suspension of the policy because the minister did not follow due consultation before making such a directive.

“We ask for the immediate suspension of this policy, pending democratic consultation by stakeholders in the education sector. Our call for suspension is based on the following.

‘’First and foremost, the sudden enforcement of this policy has negative implications for thousands of young people who have applied for admission into tertiary institutions and were supremely qualified to do so until the minister of education suddenly decided to enforce this policy.

“As far as we are concerned, we do not agree that the lives and future of our young ones should be forfeited as a result of this policy, which has been dormant for years. Many of these young children and aspiring undergraduates knew nothing about it.

‘’They applied to primary school at an early age, completed this, and moved on to secondary school meritoriously. It is not their fault they graduated from secondary school at an age earlier than the standard prescribed in law, so they should not be punished for something they know nothing about.

“Two, the minister cannot suddenly wake up to remember a policy that has been dormant for years and begin to enforce it just like that. Where is the space for consultation? Where is the respect for the public?

‘’This policy has been routinely flouted by school authorities for decades. The greatest culprits are private primary and secondary schools, which admit pupils at ages earlier than what the standard prescribes.

‘’To make matters worse, the policy of double and triple promotions of brilliant students by these private schools has added to the distortion of educational standards by ensuring that many pupils jump over different stages of their education.

“These are the issues the minister should address first. Where is the inspectorate directorate of the Ministry of Education in all these? To us, what should be enforced first is the respect of school authorities for laid down educational standards.

‘’What the Ministry of education is trying to do now is to ambush students when the real problem is the irresponsibility of the ministry towards the discharge of its function as a monitoring and inspectorate agency for both public and private schools.

“The last reason we are calling for suspension is that this policy does not appear relevant to our reality at present, especially at a period when our understanding and conception of the age of adolescence and adulthood is evolving before our very eyes.

‘’Particularly, in this millennium, adulthood often comes earlier than 18 years. This is why many countries in the world are reviewing the legal framework for the age of adulthood in their respective jurisdictions.

“At the same time, we recognise the concern that many have, that children are being robbed of their childhood because of the demand and pressure of early and rushed education. This is a valid concern, but it is not something that can be imposed, especially by a Ministry of Education that has been brazenly irresponsible in the discharge of its functions.
“We need a middle point, and the only way to arrive at that is to subject this policy to a thorough discussion by stakeholders before rushing to enforce it.

‘’To this extent, we ask the minister to convene a summit of stakeholders in the education sector, including parents, unions, and civil society organisations, to have a thorough discussion that can link Nigeria’s national policy on education with current realities. In the meantime, this policy should be immediately suspended.”

Fury as FG pegs age for writing WASSCE at 18 years

Critical stakeholders in the education sector have condemned the decision of the Federal Government to peg the age at which students can write the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations, SSCE, at 18, saying it will simply draw the sector back.

The groups reacted to the comment by the Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, that from 2025, any candidate, who is not up to 18 will not be allowed to write the examination and without doing so, such candidate won’t be able to seek admission into tertiary institutions.

The stakeholders, who spoke with Vanguard yesterday, included the Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, the National Parents/ Teachers Association of Nigeria, NAPTAN, the Congress of University Academics, CONUA, the Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU and a member of a non-governmental organisation, Concerned Parents and Educators Network, CPE.

FG’s position

Mamman, who spoke on a television programme on Sunday night dropped the hint about the new policy.
Nigeria operates the 6–3–3–4 system where a child enrols in school at age six for six years each of primary and secondary education.

At the end of secondary school, a Nigerian is expected to be about 18 years old, but many students often graduate at 16 or less due to skipped grades.

In July, the Ministry of Education introduced a policy setting age 18 as the minimum age for tertiary institution admissions.

It, however, made an exception for the 2024 admission cycle which it said will accept candidates as young as age 16.
Mamman said such under-aged students will no longer be allowed to write the SSCE.

The Education Minister was asked whether the status quo for the minimum age of admission into higher institutions was 16 or 18.

“It is 18 (years). 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,” the Education Minister clarified

Mamman said the policy of minimum age for tertiary school admission was not newly initiated by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

“This is a policy that has been there for a long time. 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.

“In any case, NECO and WAEC, henceforth, will not be allowing under-age 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,” he said

Asked what the minimum age to write SSCE would be, the minister responded: “It is not a matter of age. It is the years spent at each level of education.”

The minister, who said pupils were expected to spend five years in early child care, said they would be six in primary one and complete primary school education at age 12.

He reiterated that the junior and senior secondary school levels together were for six years, blaming parents for “pressuring” their children and wards into embracing educational pursuits which they were too young to understand.

The minister said his position is in line with the 6-3-3-4 educational policy of the federal government.

On the face of it, the minister is right as 18 years is the age of maturity or adulthood under the Constitution, and the university environment and academic content are tailor-made for mature minds.

It will draw back education – NUT Reacting to the issue yesterday, the Secretary General of the NUT, Dr Mike Ene, expressed disappointment at the development.

According to him, the government’s declaration will simply negatively affect the education sector.

“One good thing about our minister is that he is a lecturer and also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. One hopes the policy will stand the test of time. They should have another look at the policy.

‘’They cannot just wake up and make such a decision. They must consult widely on it. I am a member of the National Council on Education, NCE, and we held a meeting in Lagos early this year I am not sure such a matter was discussed. It is decisions taken at such a meeting that should be pursued.

“The NCE comprises the ministers, commissioners for education in all states, the NUT, bodies such as WAEC, NECO, JAMB, UBEC and others. If that is done, what will become of gifted children?. Yes, in our days, people start school at six years, but we still had those who left secondary school before 18.

“Now that our children start early, say by three years they are in creche, singing nursery rhymes, after that, they move on. So, they complete secondary school education before 18, some a little over 16. What will such students be doing? Devil finds work for an idle hand,” he said.

Reminded that the minister and other supporters of the policy were talking about the maturity of the students, Ene opined that he recognized that, but noted that the situation has changed in today’s world.

He said: “We were asked to touch our ears and be up to six in those days. Now, both parents have to work to fend for their families and that is why people take their wards to school early.

“Apart from that, what about the gifted ones? It is like this policy is to draw back a section of the country. In many parts of the country, most children start school early.’’

We will go to court — Parents

The Deputy National President of NAPTAN, Chief Adeolu Ogunbanjo, minced no words when approached by Vanguard, saying the body will challenge the matter in court.

“We have spoken to some lawyers on the matter, they said we should just be patient for the year 2025 to roll in. Around March next year, before WAEC and others start to conduct the SSCE, we will sue the government if they refuse to drop the policy. We will go to court because the minister wants to draw education back to the country.

“They simply want to kill knowledge and education in the country. They also want to kill the aspirations of parents to get their wards educated. It will mess up the education sector. Let them just leave the policy at 16 years.

‘’The world has changed and we must change with it. What do they want those who leave secondary school before 18 to do? The policy is simply not in tune with the reality of the times,” he stated.

Leave the age at 17 — CONUA

On his part, the National President of CONUA, Dr Niyi Sunmonu, told one of our correspondents that his union will only support leaving the age to seek admission for further studies at 17.

“We are reiterating our earlier position. When the minister said early in the year that when he monitored the UTME, he saw some young chaps writing the exam and canvassed pegging the year at 18, we said 17 is okay.

“A student can leave secondary school at 16 or a little above that and seek admission for higher education at 17.
“The minister should call a meeting of stakeholders in the sector to deliberate on it. The policy should go through the process of acceptance by all and even be legislated upon by the National Assembly. Parents want to be free from the burden of educating their children as soon as possible,” he said.

Why the rush? — ASUU

Reacting yesterday, the National President of ASUU, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, called for obedience to the rules and regulations guiding activities in the sector.

“Let parents do the needful by putting their wards in school at six years. The children would be emotionally mature by 18 when they get to higher institutions.

‘’It is the proliferation of private schools at all levels that is driving opposition to this policy. If the public schools are good for everyone, then those patronising private ones will reduce in number, “ he stated.

Asked what would become of gifted children, Osodeke said the number in that category is not high.

“Regarding what those who pass out of secondary school before 18 would do, their parents should be responsible for that. If they rush them to school, they should make arrangements to take care of them before they move on to higher institutions, “ he added.

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