Still On University Entry Age Requirement

For the second time in three months, the issue of the minimum age for entry into Nigerian Universities has come up. The Minister of Education, Prof Mamman Tahir first raised the issue earlier this year. He directed the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), not to allow students below 18 years to write the JAMB Exam.

After uproar from critical stakeholders following his pronouncement, he had a change of mind and said they can now write the exam for one year only. In subsequent years, the 18 years minimum age rule will apply. I shared my opinion then: (University entry age is about nature and nurture – By Francis Ewherido).

But I am revisiting the issue because the minister has also revisited the issue. The new directive says that students enrolling to write the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations, West African Examination Council (WAEC) SSCE in addition to JAMB Exam must be at least 18

These are the arguments by Prof. Tahir, as captured by Vanguard Newspaper and my thoughts: “He noted that the 18-year benchmark is in line with the 6-3-3-4 system of education.” I only found that out recently. In the early 80s when I wrote JAMB Exam, each university fixed the age limit for entry. The University of Nigeria, Nsukka, my alma mater was 16 years. UNN was firm on it and a student who entered at 15 years was later expelled when the authorities found out. In a federal system of government, the ministry can make broad rules and leave details to the universities, some of which are owned by the state governments and private institutions/individuals. The excessive regulation from the federal level is not good for a federal system of government and our democracy.

Prof Tahir said: ‘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.’ I agree totally with the minister that children should not be rushed through school. I have problems with some parents. They will lie, forge documents and commit all kinds of illegalities just to push their children through the university. Some of these graduates have their degree certificates, but you cannot vouch that they ‘have been found worthy both in character and learning.’ Some cannot write an application letter for a job. Some of them would make you weep for the situation in our education. But we must learn to separate the grains from the chaff. We cannot throw away the baby with the bath water. That is injustice to the grains and the baby.

The minister also said ‘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 environment; when they are in charge of their own affairs. My thought: I disagree with the minister here. Yes, there are some children who will be too young and unprepared for the university environment. But there are also parents who have groomed their children and prepared them for university education at age 16. It is a combination of nature and nurture and not age only as I argued in my last article on this issue. Because these parents have groomed and prepared their children for this transition, it becomes easy. Some parents prepare their children for an independent life from age 12. By age 16, they can manage their lives without physical parental presence. A friend sent all his three children to Canada at age 16. They have all graduated and turned out very well. Some parents laid a firm foundation at the early stages of their children’s lives. The children went to boarding schools and became independent while in secondary school.

Specially gifted children are another sticking point. The minister confessed that the case has not been tackled yet. Nigeria has always had policies where excellence is sacrificed for mediocrity. We have it in quota system where excellence is sacrificed for mediocrity. I have no problems with making special arrangements for the less gifted and vulnerable in our society. Where I have issues is where excellence is sacrificed. Protagonists are quick to name countries where students do not go into the university until they are 17 or 18 years and above. But they conveniently fail to tell us that these countries also have measures in place to fast track the education of geniuses and specially-gifted children. We read stories of students who graduated at age 14 in the US and the UK. Such provisions are currently absent in Nigeria. Now we want to stunt the academic growth of our specially gifted children further by pegging their age of entering the university at 18. That is retrogressive.

No one has shown me any empirical evidence of how the entry age of 16 years adversely affect the development of the students and the advantages those who entered at 18 years and above have. I have people who entered the university at 16 since the 80s and those who entered at an older age. The outcome is mixed, with the students’ level of intelligence, focus, hard work, family background, among other factors playing major roles in their success or otherwise.

The National President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, called for obedience of the rules and regulations guiding activities in the university sector. “Let parents do the needful by putting their wards in school at six years old. The children would be emotionally mature by 18 when they get to higher institutions.

When Osodeke was asked what would become of gifted children, he said ‘the number in that category is not high.’ That response is very disappointing for me. So even if it’s one gifted child, he should be sacrificed for one million average students? I know in law, there is a common saying that it is better for thousands of criminals to roam free than one innocent person to be behind bars wrongfully. That obviously does not apply to our gifted students. Sad!

Findings show that the law setting up JAMB is silent on the issue of age. It is the Senate of a university that spells out guidelines on admission to the various departments and faculties and most universities agree to 16 years as admission age for new intakes.

According to the JAMB Act 1989, which spells out the functions of the Board, Education Minister and others, the minister has the right to give directives to the body.

Schedule A section C said it is the duty of the Board to place suitably qualified candidates in tertiary institutions in collaboration with the institutions.

However, Schedule 2 says “Subject to the provision of this Act, the Minister may give the Board directives of a general character or relating generally to particular matters with regards to the exercise by the Board of its functions under this Act and it shall be the duty of the Board to comply with such directives.”

From the above, the minister is in order, but he needs to tread carefully in implementing this rule. Implementing the 18 years rule will be very disruptive and lead to avoidable crisis. A country already grappling with teenagers involved in kidnapping, internet fraud, underaged prostitution, ritual killings and other vices, should not implement a policy that will compound its problems. I still believe 16 years is good enough for students to go into the university, but if government insists on 18 years, give at least a four to six years transitional period.

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