The Peoples Democratic Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has attacked President Bola Tinubu’s Federal Government for imposing a ridiculous 18-year-old age limit on NECO and WAEC exams, claiming it prevents students from applying for scholarships.
Remember that the Federal Government forbade anyone under the age of eighteen from taking the WAEC and NECO exams?
Prof. Tahir Mamman, the Minister of Education, made this revelation while appearing on Channels Television’s “Sunday Politics” show.
According to Mamman, candidates for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WAEC) and the Senior School Certificate Examination (NEC) must be at least 18 years old to take these tests. This directive comes from the federal government.
The former vice president responded by denouncing the regulation as outdated on his verified Facebook page on Wednesday.
Atiku described the policy as divisive and demanded that everyone who respects accessibility and intellectual freedom denounce it universally.
He stated, “Tinubu’s policy on age limit for tertiary education admission belongs in the Stone Ages.
“The recent policy of the Federal Ministry of Education pegging age limits for entry to tertiary institutions is an absurdity and a disincentive to scholarship.
“The policy runs foul of the notion of delineation of responsibilities in a federal system of government such as we are practising, and gives a graphic impression of how the Tinubu government behaves like a lost sailor on a high sea.
“Otherwise, how is such anti-scholarship regulation the next logical step in the myriad of issues besetting our educational system?
“To be clear, the Nigerian constitution puts education in the concurrent list of schedules, in which the sub-national government enjoys more roles above the Federal Government.”
The former vice president emphasized that letting subnational governments enact their own laws or regulations pertaining to education is the most successful worldwide strategy.
Atiku continued, “Therefore, it is extra-constitutional for the federal government to legislate on education like a decree.
“The best global standard for such regulation is to allow the sub-national governments to make respective laws or rules on education.
“It is discouraging that even while announcing this obnoxious policy, the government inadvertently said it had no plan to cater to specially gifted pupils. That statement is an embarrassment to the body of intellectuals in the country because it portrays Nigeria as a country where gifted students are not appreciated.
“The irony here is that should the federal government play any role in education, it is to set up mechanisms that will identify and grant scholarships to gifted students not minding their ages before applying for admission into tertiary institutions.
“This controversial policy belongs in the Stone Ages and should be roundly condemned by everyone who believes in intellectual freedom and accessibility.”
