According to a statement made by the Minister for Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman on Monday, The Federal Government is contemplating setting the entry age for admission to universities and other tertiary educational institutions at 18 Years.
The minister further charged that some of the issues facing higher tertiary institutions can be attributed to underages.
Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, described the Federal Government’s proposal a positive step forward.
“We are in full support. It is the right thing. What the minister said is the correct thing,” ASUU President told our correspondent in an interview.
“The age benchmark issue is not a new thing,” he continued. Regulators have just not been carrying out their duties.
“If you were not six years old, you could not attend primary school back then. After six years, you graduate at the age of twelve. After six years in secondary school, you graduate at the age of eighteen, according to Oshodeke.
Unless a candidate is confirmed as gifted, the majority of higher institutions in the country today establish a standard admission age of 16 years old.
In 2021, the Senate announced plans to amend the law establishing the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, to limit the age of a candidate sitting the UTME to 16 years and above.
During the Senate Committee on Basic Education’s oversight visit to JAMB, Senator Akon Eyakenyi, who was the vice chairman at the time, stated that this would prohibit underage from taking the exam in order to be admitted to Nigerian universities.
Speaking while keeping an eye on the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination in Abuja, Mamman, however, advised parents not to push their wards and children “too much.”
He claimed that by doing this, they would be able to mature to the point where they could handle their affairs more effectively.
According to reports, 1,985,642 candidates are scheduled to take the JAMB’s 2024 UTME, which started on Friday, April 19, and ends on Monday, April 29.
The minister said, “The other thing which we notice is the age of those who have applied to go to the university, during the inspection of one of the exam centers on Monday. Too young are a few of them. They are too young to comprehend the value of a university degree, so we will examine it.”
At that point, students transition out of a supervised setting where they manage their own affairs. Therefore, kids would not be able to manage appropriately if they are too young. That explains a portion of the issues we are witnessing in the academic institutions.
We will examine that while 18 is the legal age of admission to universities, you will see students as young as 15 and 16 showing up for the examination. It is detrimental to us. It is important to advise parents not to push their wards or kids too hard.
“The entire examination procedure, from screening to those in attendance, runs smoothly. Students feel comfortable in this setting. That’s how things ought to be, particularly with regard to how technology is used in our daily lives and in the classroom. It seamless and makes everyone’s life easier.”
As far as we are aware, this examination is being conducted across the nation. Everywhere is seamlessly monitored, and based on the information I have read, there are only 100 cases of malpractice out of 1.2 million. It has significantly decreased, and I think that the usage of technology has contributed to that, so this is excellent,” he remarked.
Speaking about the large number of candidates for the few spots available in tertiary institutions, Mamman stressed that skill acquisition is still essential to putting young people on the path to success. It is not about employment but about the number of people who will be admitted from this set. I believe that the average percentage for universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education is around 20%.
You inquire as to where the other 80% are. They are our wards and our children who live with us. The importance of skill acquisition stems from the idea that every student, even those who are unable to continue their education beyond secondary school or even primary school, should be able to lead a fulfilling life.
“Skills are the only way to address it; students must acquire skills from the moment they are accepted into the school and use them throughout their whole educational journey. Someone ought to complete a particular skill. That is included in the 6-3-3-4 educational system’s underlying assumptions.
It is believed that a student will have certain skills by the time he completes to the JSS level. He would not be a burden on his parents or society if he could not continue to the senior school level. Instead, he would have gained some skills to help him navigate life.
In order to empower the next generation, “skill is simply the most important skill for us now that we are going to drive through the education sector for both public and private sector.”
Minister of State for Education, Dr. Tanko Sununu stated that the UTME was still being held in Saudi Arabia because of the standards set by JAMB’s management. He noted that the exam had reached a high degree of objectivity and result reliability.
If you have been using phone or smartphone, there are some instructions that will be pushed to you that will correctly assist you to have access, even if this is your first time coming into contact with a computer.
“The speed is one of the main things I notice about this exam, and it’s an essential aspect of online exams. The center operates at a really fast pace, turning pages as soon as candidates require them and never pausing to boot up.
“There are numerous measures in the exam to prevent examination malpractice as well. Even if you are answering the same questions as someone else, the question numbers will differ because the person next to you will be taking different subjects.
The standard of the exam is exceptional. The fact that JAMB is conducting examination in other countries does not surprise me. The exam is currently being conducted in Saudi Arabia as well.
“It demonstrates that we can accomplish a lot with online exams; I have not heard of anyone complaining about answers leaking,” he stated.
