Following the federal government’s move on the enforcement of 18-year age limit for persons seeking to sit for the West Africa Examination, WAEC and National Examination Council, NECO, the Secretary-General, the Nigerian Union Of Teachers, (NUT) Dr Mike Ene, said enrollment in crèches due to economic pressures has made it unrealistic to restrict learning based on age.
Ene who emphasized that the only way this policy could work is if it’s implemented from the foundation, added that exceptional students were not considered in the policy because they might be younger but academically advanced.
Addressing newsmen, Ene described the policy as poorly conceived warning that the policy could lead to legal challenges and urged the government to rethink it.
He explained further; “The only way this policy could work is if it’s implemented from the foundation. By that, I mean starting at the primary school level. In the past, before a child was allowed to start school, they had to pass a basic test — like reaching their hand over their head to touch the opposite ear. If they couldn’t, they were sent back home.”
READ ALSO: FG Moves to Enforce 18-Year Age Limits for WAEC, NECO, UTME Exams
On his part, National President, ASUP, Mr Shammah Kpanja, maintained that the decision to allow students under 18 to sit for exams should depend on their abilities. Kpanja also cited the case of gifted students who might not need to spend the full years in school.
Kpanja said the government should focus on addressing infrastructure deficits instead of focusing on mundane matters. “Did their children sit for WASSCE at 18 years? You allow young girls to marry at 12 in the North, but they can’t take WAEC at 16? What are the government’s priorities?” The Secretary-General, Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, Prof. Yakubu Ochefu, said the policy has been part of the law for years and sees no reason why people are against it.
Reacting, WAEC Head of National Office, Dr Amos Dagnut, said the council had the right to enforce any policy because education in Nigeria was regulated by the government; “If the government is regulating education, it is within their purview to do so. We at WAEC do not regulate or keep records of candidates’ ages, as these details are submitted to us by the schools.”
In the same vain, National President, Academic Staff Union of Universities, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, said children should be allowed to follow the standard academic progression of 6-3-3 before progressing to the university.
“They should allow the system to function as intended and give their children time to rest. Adulthood begins at 18, so why force a child to go to the university or rent an apartment at 15? We need to consider the well-being of these children.”
