The federal government has directed that candidates who are less than 18 years old should not be offered admission into tertiary institutions.

The Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, gave the directive on Monday, April 22, during a monitoring exercise of the ongoing 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Bwari, Federal Capital Territory.

The minister said the 18-year benchmark is in line with the 6-3-3-4 education system.

He said: "The minimum age of entry into the university is 18, but we have seen students who are 15 or 16 years old 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.


“We are going to look at this development because the candidates are too young to understand what the whole university education is all about.”

Link : https://www.lindaikejisblog.com/2024/4/fg-sets-18-years-as-minimum-entry-age-into-tertiary-institutions-2.html

...to avoid having more underage graduates.

I concur

I agree, any student that finishes high school before 18, should learn a skill, the skill might be useful more than the certificate in the future.

Nig. seems to be on another dimension and does off point things. So students who finished their secondary school at 15 will have to wait for 3 years before entering uni. Isn't that potential killing

Is this really necessary?our leaders loves distracting us with irrelevant measures while failing to do the necessary ones, how does this policy improve the quality of education received in Nigerian schools of higher studies? We need libraries stocked with modern books, lecturers with updated knowledge, regular supply of water and light, well equipped laboratories etc not setting up of age barriers. United States have no legally minimum age to enroll in their colleges and universities, even students as young as 13 years are accepted yet they have the best higher education system in the world.

Fighttillvictory:
Nig. seems to be on another dimension and does off point things. So students who finished their secondary school at 15 will have to wait for 3 years before entering uni. Isn't that potential killing

If you have a child that finishes secondary school at 15, will you allow ur child to stay at home for 3 yrs?

Takes by moonlight

I'm china , USA and other developed countries people are finishing university at 13,14 , 15,

Some even get PhD at 19 , 20 21

Yet we want to Hold our own back till they are 18

Honestly federal government should allow states handle their education system abeg

You guys can keep making minimum age 30 even

If you can pass weac and jamb at the age of 10 I see no reason you should be denied admission honestly

Highest it should be restricted to school close to guiden

This is not a legislatively passed law and should be challenged. The NUC man cannot be presenting his own ideas as 'Law'.

No, that's not acceptable.

longetivity:
If you have a child that finishes secondary school at 15, will you allow ur child to stay at home for 3 yrs?

lol shouldn't that ques go to the dumbo who made that rule. It seems comprehension is far from you

Does this apply to state and private universities? If it doesn't then these minors can go excel elsewhere. Those institutions will happy take your money if the FG doesn't want it.

mrvitalis:
I'm china , USA and other developed countries people are finishing university at 13,14 , 15,

Some even get PhD at 19 , 20 21

Yet we want to Hold our own back till they are 18

Honestly federal government should allow states handle their education system abeg

You guys can keep making minimum age 30 even

If you can pass weac and jamb at the age of 10 I see no reason you should be denied admission honestly

Highest it should be restricted to school close to guiden

I respectfully disagree

Chinese students finish secondary school at 17 or 18.

USA is roughly the same.age.

Ditto many developed countries. UK still does something called a level before you enter university.

The 13 year olds you hear finishing school? Rare ones. Some do well, some collapse. There is one of them,an American , who got a.phd in astrophysics at 19 self. People were predicting great things for him. Today he does manual work.

I even know of two Nigerian kids who went through school fast like that. One of them managed to get to masters level before he cracked.

Most students overseas are 17 or 18.when they reach university. Any child graduating before 16 was rushed.

As someone said, if you finish secondary school before 18, learn handiwork skills.

If you go university and graduate, you have handiwork skills with a degree. It’s a good combination to possess.

I would suggest the federal gov mandate technical skills for all students after secondary school. All students after secondary learn any technical skills of their choice from automotive engine repair, computer and phones repair, plumbing, advanced welding, carpentry, textile design, solar power technology, drones design and repair, aeroplane technician, leather tanning, to even agric.

After 12-18 months of technical school, you can then go to university. We need to replicate what the Germans do.

Let’s turn Nigeria to a manufacturing hub. We can replace China. All goods that are too expensive to manufacture in the west, we manufacture it and start to export. We need to prep our youths with the right skills.

longetivity:
If you have a child that finishes secondary school at 15, will you allow ur child to stay at home for 3 yrs?

Good question

18 is ok but exceptions should be made to this age requirement when it comes to gifted children

nairalanda1:


I respectfully disagree

Chinese students finish secondary school at 17 or 18.

USA is roughly the same.age.

Ditto many developed countries. UK still does something called a level before you enter university.

The 13 year olds you hear finishing school? Rare ones. Some do well, some collapse. There is one of them,an American , who got a.phd in astrophysics at 19 self. People were predicting great things for him. Today he does manual work.

I even know of two Nigerian kids who went through school fast like that. One of them managed to get to masters level before he cracked.

Most students overseas are 17 or 18.when they reach university. Any child graduating before 16 was rushed.

Of course they are rare they are special breed, those are the people who change the world

Most people would get admitted by 18 by the way why the restrictions

Why not increase it to 35 years,

Other nations are giving rooms to the genius among them to start early, we are frustrating the genius in Nigeria.
With the constant strikes and closure of universities in Nigeria our children will be graduating at 60 years and employers will be requiring graduates below the age of 25 years.
What a country

mrvitalis:
I'm china , USA and other developed countries people are finishing university at 13,14 , 15,
Some even get PhD at 19 , 20 21
Yet we want to Hold our own back till they are 18
Honestly federal government should allow states handle their education system abeg
You guys can keep making minimum age 30 even If you can pass weac and jamb at the age of 10 I see no reason you should be denied admission honestly Highest it should be restricted to school close to guiden

. Not true. My online sources say the average age for university degree acquisition in the US is 22.

Very rubbish directive. I graduated from the university at 18 but got my first full-time job at 23. Allow people pursue their dreams. The country already disfavors all a lot of kids.

Very good. They should also make primary six compulsory for pupils.
How can students be 14/15years in SS3 and preparing to write WAEC?

Nonsense and jumping class

RenaissanceGuy:
. Not true. My online sources say the average age for university degree acquisition in the US is 22.

Do hok know what average means?
Can't you guys google? Is it not free where you live?

mrvitalis:

Do hok know what average means?
Can't you guys google? Is it not free where you live?

How does 22 being average come close to 13-15 you earlier said?? The ones who finish at the ranges you quoted are probably 3 in 10,000,000.

RenaissanceGuy:
How does 22 being average come close to 13-15 you earlier said?? The ones who finish at the ranges you quoted are probably 3 in 10,000,000.

Yes but those 3 are reason you don't but a minimum age

They are once in a generation brains, they are world changers

Newton was done with all his invention by 25

How you guys don't get it so crazy

People finish sec school at 13 , 14 so what should they do

And you complain about brain drain

When you have a troglodyte as the minister of education, these sort of things are bound to happen.

'Boko' is kuku haram to his clan, so no surprises.

How age of person wey study and pass enough to gain admission to university be critical thing that should be brought to the front burner by this aboki and his retrogressive crew no be ment?

Quota system stone-age oaf. See his darkened coconut like head.

Nonsense, my daughter will finish secondary when she will be 15, so she should wait for one nonsense policy?

longetivity:
If you have a child that finishes secondary school at 15, will you allow ur child to stay at home for 3 yrs?

Direct him or her to learn practical skills . Education without skill aquesattion is becoming scam.

nairalanda1:


I respectfully disagree

Chinese students finish secondary school at 17 or 18.

USA is roughly the same.age.

Ditto many developed countries. UK still does something called a level before you enter university.

The 13 year olds you hear finishing school? Rare ones. Some do well, some collapse. There is one of them,an American , who got a.phd in astrophysics at 19 self. People were predicting great things for him. Today he does manual work.

I even know of two Nigerian kids who went through school fast like that. One of them managed to get to masters level before he cracked.

Most students overseas are 17 or 18.when they reach university. Any child graduating before 16 was rushed.

Oga those country you mentioned is not like ours where graduates without practical experience are looking for virtual Job which none of their Parents established .

It's probably for the next set. Those sitting for the current JAMB were given 16 years of age as minimum entry age for universities. He is proposing it to align with the 6-3-3-4 which is not even so any more as it's now 9-3-4.
The Journalist is just sensationalising it and it's not a law but direction the FG is thinking.

The current Minister of Education is from the private university sector and knows that the private universities are not enforcing age limits. Federal and state universities will work against it and rather stick to the 16 years that has been effective.

I concur

I 100% agree with this policy.

University nowadays looks like kindergarten with lots of underage pupils loitering all over the place.

This is a welcome development a means to address the misnomer where a 1 year old or even 8 months old toddle is dragged to care centre in the name of school by their so called working class parents, a society where parents push and promote their ward to jump class and land into confusion where they are forced to seat with their senior, where wards were discriminated against, abused or bullied but most working class parents to notice nor care.

I can go on and on!
Good riddance bad rubish!

Perfect