The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has rejected the federal government’s move to ban admission for candidates under 18 into tertiary institutions in the country.
In a statement made available to journalists on Thursday, the President of NANS, Pedro Obi, described the ban as incompetent on the minister of education’s part and for making such decisions without robust stakeholder engagement.
He said, “This blanket ban is totally unacceptable to the students’ bodies; declaring such a far-reaching decision without even robust stakeholder engagement and legislative support undermines democratic process and inclusivity in policy making.”
Pedro Obi states, “The blanket age restriction disregards individual differences in intellectual and academic capabilities, unfairly penalising students who are advanced for their age; students should be allowed to move at their own pace and maintain their performances.”
He further cited that many countries do not impose strict age limits on tertiary education admission, focusing on academic readiness and merit, which could place Nigerian students at a disadvantage globally.
“NANS is saying no to the plans by the federal government to set the minimum age for admission of students into higher institutions at 18; it is unfriendly, unjust, and not equitable.”
Obi, therefore, called on the federal government to reconsider its stance and allow the national assembly to provide legislation backing before arriving at a fair minimum requirement.
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