The Nigerian Union of Teachers has criticized the Federal Government’s decision to prohibit candidates under 18 from taking the West African Senior School Certificate Examination and the National Examination Council exams.
Earlier this week, the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, announced that the government has set a new age policy for secondary school leaving exams, establishing 18 as the minimum age.
This directive also applies to the West African Examinations Council, which conducts the WASSCE, and the National Examinations Council, responsible for the SSCE. Additionally, candidates must be 18 years old to take the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, administered by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board.
However, Dr. Mike Ene, the Secretary-General of the NUT, argued in an interview with PUNCH that societal changes, such as early enrollment in crèches due to economic pressures, make it impractical to limit education based on age.
“The only way this policy could work is if it’s implemented from the foundation. By that, I mean starting at the primary school level. In the past, before a child was allowed to start school, they had to pass a basic test — like reaching their hand over their head to touch the opposite ear. If they couldn’t, they were sent back home.”
“However, things have changed. Nowadays, due to economic pressures, parents enroll their children in crèches early, which means both parents have to work,”
“Teachers at these crèches begin to educate the children, and they start learning quickly. You can’t stop them from learning because the brain is structured to keep developing—once learning stops, the brain stagnates.”
He refered to the policy as poorly conceived.
“You also have to consider exceptional students. Some students are 16 years old in SS3. Is the minister taking these scenarios into account? What are these students supposed to do? Wait two more years? I see this as a policy that could lead to numerous legal challenges. The government needs to rethink this thoroughly. It is poorly conceived.” he noted.
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