The 2023 Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has hit out at the President Bola Tinubu’s administration over the 18-year age limit on NECO and WAEC exams.
Atiku has called it absurd and claims it would be a barrier to scholarships.
The Federal Government has banned individuals below 18 from participating in the NECO and WAEC exams.
This was revealed by the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, during his appearance on Channels Television’s ‘ Sunday Politics’ program.
Mamman stated that the federal government has instructed WAEC, responsible for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination, and NECO, which administers the Senior School Certificate Examination, to enforce the 18-year age requirement for candidates taking these exams.
In response, the former Vice President took to his verified Facebook page on Wednesday to criticize the policy as outdated.
Atiku labelled the policy as controversial and called for universal condemnation from those who value intellectual freedom and accessibility.
He stated, “Tinubu’s policy on age limit for tertiary education admission belongs in the Stone Ages.
“The recent policy of the Federal Ministry of Education pegging age limits for entry to tertiary institutions is an absurdity and a disincentive to scholarship.
“The policy runs foul of the notion of delineation of responsibilities in a federal system of government such as we are practising, 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.”
