Professor Tahir Mamman, the Minister of Education, said that the Federal Government is actively examining ways to change the 18-year-old age requirement for admission to universities.
Prof. Mamman emphasized the value of flexibility in the admissions process for extremely brilliant students during his speech at the Ministerial Session of the 68th National Council on Education meeting in Abuja.
He emphasized that the government is committed to identifying the special skills of some pupils and making sure they have chances that are specifically designed to help them go into higher education. Eyes Of Lagos reports,
Professor Mamman made it clear that the restriction on age limits only applies to university admissions and has no bearing on O-level exams.
He Mamman stated: “It is necessary to reaffirm the false statement on the before mentioned 18-year-old age restriction for university enrollment.
The age restriction for students taking WAEC, NECO, NBAIS, NABTEB, or any other Ordinary Level examination is not what the ministry was referring to; rather, it was the age requirement for entry into tertiary institutions as stated in the National Policy on Education (6-3-3-4 System); the UBEC Act; and the Education (Minimum) Standards Act 1993.
“However, the ministry will develop a policy to address cases of legitimately exceptionally intelligent learners. The ministry acknowledges that some children are exceptionally intelligent.”
The Minister went on to say that at the basic education levels, the government is trying to make sure that pupils learn at least two skills.
Innovation, digital technology, and entrepreneurship are the main topics of discussion during the 68th National Council on Education conference.
The Federal Government uses the gathering as an occasion to showcase some of its accomplishments and intentions to address some of the changes in the education sector.
Efforts to make sure that the country’s education system is in line with the digital era were also discussed during the conference.
The curriculum is being reviewed by the council. The curriculum revision plan is based on the idea that students should be adequately prepared to face the difficulties of the digital age due to the rapid progress of technology.
