A chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, Olufemi Ajadi Oguntoyinbo has warned that the 18 years minimum age for writing the West African Examinations Council and the National Examination Council, as being proposed by the federal government will constitute delays in the progress of millions of students in the country.
Oguntoyinbo made the claims in a statement made available to Newspot on Saturday.
Recall that the federal government had recently pegged the minimum age for writing WAEC and NECO at 18.
Oguntoyinbo in his reaction, called on the federal government to review its policy of pegging the minimum age for candidates to the examinations.
He warned that the proposed policy if implemented, could delay the progress of millions of young children who are already at Senior Secondary School level and who are going to be at SSS 3 at ages below 18 years.
Oguntoyinbo in the statement, said until recently the age requirement for writing the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB, Tertiary Entrance Examination was 16 years.
He wondered why the federal government just came up hastily to alter the age requirements for writing WAEC and NECO.
He urged the government to maintain the minimum age for SSCE at 16 years, as has been the practice, saying this is a more balanced and sustainable approach.
“The new age limit, rather than enhancing educational outcomes, risks stifling student progress and diminishing the quality of education in Nigeria. It allows academically ready students to progress to tertiary education without delay while ensuring those who need more time can take their steps gradually.
“Setting the minimum age for SSCE at 18 years is out of step with the global trend towards encouraging early academic achievements. Nigeria’s 6-3-3-4 educational system, which anticipates students finishing secondary school by age 18, does not account for the diverse academic paths students might take.
“Many students, particularly those who are gifted or started school early, complete secondary education well before turning 18. Imposing an age limit would unfairly penalise these students, forcing them to wait unnecessarily, which is both a waste of time and an impediment to their academic and professional growth.
“We have state secondary schools aside from the federal government schools. Moreover, the School Certificate Examinations being conducted by the West African Examinations Council, WAEC is not only for Nigerian students but for other West African countries.
”Why must we peg the age at 18 years while other countries write at a lower age”.
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