The Federal Ministry of Education on Friday debunked reports making the rounds that it pegged the official age of eligibility for writing the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination and the National Examinations Council exams at 18 years.
According to the Ministry, it never said it would stop students who are not up to 18 years old from sitting for the exams.
News About Nigeria reports that the clarification was made by the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Yusuf Sununu, while speaking to newsmen at an event to mark the 2024 International Literacy Day in Abuja.
According to Sununu, the public misinterpreted what was said by the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman.
He further explained that the minister was speaking on the 18 years of entry age into tertiary institutions.
He said, “We have agreed that we are going to consider it a work in progress. The National Assembly is working and we are also working. It was shocking to say that a university in this country gave admission to children aged 10, 11, and 12 years. This is totally wrong. We are not saying that there are no exceptions, we know we can have talented students who have the IQ of an adult even at ages six and seven, but these are very few.
“There must be a rule, and the ministry is looking at developing a guideline on how to identify a talented child so that parents don’t say we are blocking their children’s chances. Nobody said no child will write WAEC, NECO, or any other examination unless at age 18. This is a misconception and misrepresentation of what we have said.”
