In order to ensure that exceptionally gifted students are not drawn back in their academic pursuits, the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman has disclosed that plans are on the way to establish guidelines to address the 18-year age limit for higher institution admissions.
Mamman disclosed this during his keynote speech at the Ministerial Session of the 68th National Council on Education (NCE) meeting in Abuja.
Mamman noted that there was a need to clarify the misconception surrounding the age limit for admission into higher institutions.
Recall that the minister had stated that from 2025, candidates under 18 years will not be admitted into the higher institutions.
While there has been outcry over the age limit, Mamman had insisted that he was only emphasising the age requirement for entry into tertiary institutions as outlined in the National Policy on Education.
“The Ministry is simply emphasising the age requirement for entry into tertiary institutions as outlined in the National Policy on Education, the UBEC Act, and the Education (Minimum) Standards Act 1993, not the age for participating in WAEC, NECO, NABTEB, or any ordinary level examinations,” he stated.
The National Council on Education was established to provide a non-partisan, national platform that addresses the broad spectrum of issues affecting the education process, fostering collaborative solutions to enhance the quality of education.
The theme of the 68th NCE meeting was “Innovation, Digital Technology and Entrepreneurship: Tools for Education and National Development in the 21st Century”.