Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s Federal Government for imposing an 18-year age limit on NECO and WAEC exams, calling it ludicrous and a barrier to scholarship opportunities.
Recall that the Federal Government has prohibited anyone under the age of 18 from taking the NECO and WAEC exams.
Prof. Tahir Mamman, Minister of Education, announced this while appearing on Channels Television’s ‘Sunday Politics’ show.
Mamman claimed that the federal government has directed WAEC, which is in charge of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination, and NECO, which administers the Senior School Certificate Examination, to enforce the 18-year-old age limit for candidates sitting these exams.
On Wednesday, the former Vice President turned to his verified Facebook page to criticise the policy, calling it antiquated.
Atiku described the approach as contentious and called for widespread protest from those who cherish intellectual freedom and accessibility.
He stated, “Tinubu’s policy on age limits for tertiary education admission belongs to 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 practicing 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 stated that the most successful worldwide method is to allow sub-national governments to set their own education laws or rules.
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.”
