*UTME: FG To Review Minimum Entry Age For Varsities, Others

*ASUU Backs 18 Years Varsity Admission Age

THE Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, has attributed some issues in Nigerian universities to underage students who do not know what university education is about.

Mamman, shortly after monitoring the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in centres in Abuja, said: “As we know, this examination is going on throughout the country. It is being monitored everywhere seamlessly and from the report I have heard, the malpractice level is very low, just 100 out of 1.2 million.

 “I believe that the use of technology has made that happen. So, this is very good.

“The other thing that we noticed is the age of those who have applied to go to the university. Some of them are really too young. We are going to look at it, because they are too young to understand what university education is all about. 

“That’s the stage when students migrate from a controlled environment to where they are in charge of their own affairs. So, if they are too young, they won’t be able to manage properly. 

“That accounts for some of the problems we are seeing in the universities.”

He restated that 18 years should be the benchmark for admission into Nigerian universities, noting: “We are going to look at that; 18 is the entry age for university. But you will see students, ages 15 and 16, going to the examination. It is not good for us.

“Parents should be encouraged not to push their wards or children too much,” but allow them to attain some level of maturity to be able to better manage their affairs.

Speaking on the high number of candidates seeking admission into the limited slots available in tertiary institutions, the minister maintained that skills acquisition remains a critical component in preparing the youths for a brighter future.

He stated: “It is not a question of being employed, but how many will be admitted from this set. I think the figure overall on average is about 20 per cent; universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.

“The question you ask is, where are the 80 per cent? They are our children, our wards living with us. This is why the issue of skills acquisition is very important, because any student who is not being able to proceed to tertiary education should be able to have a meaningful life even after secondary school.

“The only solution to that is skills; by taking skills right from the time they entered school, for the primary right through the educational trajectory. Somebody should finish with one skill or another. That is part of the assumption of the 6-3-3-4.

“It is assumed that by the time a student finishes up to the JSS level, he/she will have acquired some skills. If he/she does not proceed to the senior secondary level, he/she will have acquired some skills that will help him/her navigate life and cease to be a burden on his parents and society.

“That’s why this skill is just the most important skill for us now that we are going to drive through the education sector for both public and private sector to empower the young ones.”

Mamman’s position on under-aged students gaining admission into higher institutions has received the backing of the President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, who described it as a welcome development.

He stated: “We are in full support; it is the right thing. What the minister said is the correct thing.   

“The issue of age benchmark is not a new thing; it’s just that regulators have not been doing their work.

“In those days, you could not go to primary school if you were not six years old. You spent six years and finished at age 12, and then  by the time you get to secondary school, you spend six years and then you graduate by 18.”

At the moment, the minimum age set by most tertiary institutions in the country is 16 years, unless a candidate is considered as gifted; hence could be admitted below 16.