The Education Minister has denied allegations of preventing under-18 students from taking WASSCE and NECO exams. Find out more about the clarification.
It has been clarified by the Federal Ministry of Education that there is no ban on students below 18 years old taking the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and National Examinations Council (NECO).
On Friday in Abuja, during the 2024 International Literacy Day event, Dr Yusuf Sununu – Minister of State for Education – addressed journalists and provided clarification on specific matters.
It should be remembered that Education Minister Tahir Mamman stated on August 25th that the Federal Government had directed both WAEC (the West African Examinations Council) and NECO (the National Examinations Council) to prohibit underage children from taking their exams.
Sununu expressed his disappointment over the public’s misconception and misinterpretation of Prof. Tahir Mamman, the Minister of Education’s statement.
Read Also: “FG Implements Age Limit for WAEC and NECO Exams
According to him, the minister addressed the age requirement for admission into tertiary institutions under the 6:3:3:4 education system, which is currently set at 18 years.
We’ve reached a consensus to view it as an ongoing project. Both the National Assembly and we are actively working on it.
“The admission of 10, 11 and 12-year-old children in a university within the country is utterly inappropriate, which comes as a shock.”
Although there may be exceptional cases where gifted children exhibit adult-level intelligence at the ages of 6 or 7, we acknowledge that such occurrences are rare.
The ministry is considering bringing forth a guideline for recognizing gifted children to avoid potential accusations of preventing opportunities, which highlights the necessity of having an established directive.
According to NAN, he clarified that the assertion “no child can sit for WAEC, NECO or any other examination until they are 18 years old” is a mistaken belief and an inaccurate representation of their statement.
