Furore Over Varsity Admission Age

THE recent decision by the federal government to peg the age for university admission at 18 has sparked intense debate as many stakeholders have maintained that implementing the policy will not only be disruptive but may lead to crisis in the country’s educational landscape.

According to the Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman, “The minimum age for entry into the university is 18 but we have seen students who are 15, 16 years going for entrance examination. Parents should not push their wards too much. Mostly, it is the pressure of parents that is causing this “.

Prof Mamman emphasized that the 18 years benchmark is in line with the 6-3-3-4 system of education, which requires children to be in school at 18 years, having attended six years in primary school, three years in junior secondary school and three years senior secondary school. The motivating factor of the policy, the Minister insisted, is the maturity and preparedness of students entering higher education.

His reasons may seem plausible, but we disagree with his line of thought. Though JAMB Act 1989, empowers the Minister to give directives to the body, schedule 2, states that “subject to the provision of this Act, the Minister may give the Board directives of general character relating generally to particular matters with regards to the exercise by the Board of its functions”.  We find the policy retrogressive as the excessive regulation from federal level is not good in a federal system of government and our democracy. Education is on the concurrent list which allows sub national states to legislate on it.

Agreed there are some children who will be too young and unprepared for the university environment, but there are also parents who have groomed their children and prepared them for university education at age 16, especially students who passed through boarding school, and who became independent while in secondary school. Maturity is therefore not determined by age alone as nature and nurture play a major role.

In countries where students do not go into university until they are 17 or 18 years, measures are emplaced to fast track the education of geniuses and specially gifted children. The US and UK have such provisions, which have allowed some students to graduate at age 15. Pegging the age of entering the university at 18 will stunt the academic growth of our specially gifted children because there is no mechanisms in place to identify and support such students to ensure their talents are not stifled by rigid age requirements.

Presently there is no empirical evidence to show that entry age of 16 years has adverse effects on the development of students and the advantages of those who entered at 18 years and above. The outcome is mixed as students level of intelligence, focus, learning pace, family background among others, play significant roles in their success or otherwise. The federal government needs to tread carefully to avoid disruptive implementation of the 18 years policy which may lead to crisis.

There was a time in this country, particularly in the 80s , when each university was allowed to fix the age limit for entry and most of the universities admitted students that were 16 years old and there is no evidence that they did not excel academically due to lack of maturity. Presently in the United Kingdom each university prescribes its admission age.

The policy, if implemented, might reduce the flexibility for students who wish to pursue alternative educational pathways, such as vocational training or early college programmes. The approach does not account for individual differences in learning pace and readiness for higher education. Nigeria’s diverse educational landscape means that a uniform age requirement might not be suitable for all regions, considering the gap between the North and Southern parts of the country, coupled with the differences in educational norms and practices.

We call on the government to reconsider its stand, and if it must go ahead with the policy, let the ministry make broad rules and leave the details to the universities, particularly now that there are more state and private universities in the country. This is because the policy could result in a lack of engagement as older students who are not challenged or engaged by the secondary school curriculum might be disengaged, increasing the risk of dropouts before reaching  the university.