Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticized the Federal Government’s policy prohibiting individuals under 18 from seeking tertiary education admission, calling it “absurd” and “belonging to the Stone Ages”.
Atiku argued that the policy is unconstitutional and infringes on the rights of sub-national governments to regulate education, according to TheSun.
He emphasized that the federal government’s role should be to identify and support gifted students, not impose age restrictions.
Recall that the policy, announced by Education Minister Tahir Mamman, directs WAEC and NECO to enforce an 18-year age limit for exam candidates and JAMB to maintain the same age limit for UTME.
Atiku’s criticism joins a chorus of opposition from educators and experts, who argue that the policy will hinder educational development and discourage scholarship.
“The policy runs foul of the notion of delineation of responsibilities in a federal system of government such as we are pratising, 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.
“Therefore, it is extra-constitutional for the federal government to legislate on education in a manner similar to 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 for 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,” Atiku said.
