The Federal Government has issued a new directive to Nigeria’s tertiary institutions not to admit candidates under the age of 18.
Prof. Tahir Mamman, Minister of Education, issued the directive on Monday at a monitoring exercise for the ongoing 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Bwari, Federal Capital Territory.
He condemned the actions of certain parents pressuring their teenage children to seek admission to tertiary institutions.
The minister stated that the 18-year baseline is consistent with the educational system’s 6-3-3-4 structure.
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“The minimum age of entry into the University is 18, but we have seen students who are 15, 16 years going in for the entrance examination.
“Parents should be encouraged not to push their wards too much. Mostly, it is the pressure of parents that is causing this.
“We are going to look at this development because the candidates are too young to understand what the whole university education is all about.
“This is the period when children migrate from controlled to uncontrolled environments; when they are in charge of their own affairs.
“But, if they are too young, they won’t be able to manage properly. I think that is part of what we are seeing in the Universities today,” he said.
