Senate backs 18 years minimum entry age into varsities
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The National Assembly says it has become imperative to check the admission of underage into tertiary institutions of learning in the country through a legislation that supports 18 years as entry limit for admission as
being proposed by the Ministry of Education.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on tertiary institutions and TETFund, Senator Mukhtar Dandutse, stated this at the ongoing monitoring of the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) in Abuja Tuesday. The Senate team inspected facilities at Government Secondary School, Tudun Wada, Wuse Zone 4 and Ansarul Deen International School CBT centre, Wuse 2
Dandutse said for most of the educational system and recruitment into the military, there is an age limit, so Senate will support any amendments to relevant laws to reflect the policy.
“However, there is vocational education and other systems which somebody can attend irrespective of age and background. That is why there is distance learning, nomadic education and others in formal and informal education,” he said.
He lauded the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for its smooth conduct of the UTME adding that members of the committee dispatched nationwide have been giving feedbacks that the performance so far had been very impressive.
He said more is expected to be done in respect of the challenges facing the educational system in Nigeria, stressing that one of the key problems in education was addressed by President Bola Ahmed Tinibu when he signed into law the education loan Act for students to access loans for their upkeep and payment of school fees.
Dandutse also stated that the committee was also looking at aggressive policies that will make secondary schools more habitable and impressive in terms of infrastructural development.
Earlier, while addressing some of the candidates at Government Secondary School Tudun Wada, Wuse Zone 4, he said the students would be opportune to be the first to access the N200bn students loan approved by the Tinubu-led administration, and urged the students to be law-abiding citizens and stay away from criminalities as well as religious and ethnic biases, knowing that Nigeria is a diverse entity.
Also speaking, a member of the committee, Senator Karimi Sunday, noted that every child should have access to education.
“Your age, say you are 40, 50, 60 doesn’t mean you cannot enter the university, its not a barrier, but there is also a minimum age limit. You cannot be 12, 13 or 14 and enter the university.
“What the minister said Yesterday that you have to be 18, we are not against that. Because before you can enter primary school, you have to be six and before you can enter secondary school, you have to be 12; so before you can enter into university you have to be 18,” Karimi said.
The lawmaker said there is an extant law stipulating the age limit but if it means to amend such law and make it more robust, Senate is willing to make it happen.