The Federal Authorities has prohibited people below the age of 18 from participating within the Nationwide Examinations Council and West African Examinations Council exams.
The Minister of Training, Prof. Tahir Mamman disclosed this when he featured on Channels Tv’s ‘Sunday Politics’ program on Sunday night time.
Mamman defined that the federal authorities has directed WAEC, which conducts the West African Senior Faculty Certificates Examination and NECO, which oversees the Senior Faculty Certificates Examination to implement the 18-year age requirement for candidates wishing to take these exams.
This, he mentioned was not a brand new coverage.
He added that the age restrict for candidates sitting for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, administered by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, stays set at 18 years.
He mentioned, “It’s 18 (years). What we did on the assembly that we had with JAMB (in July) was to permit this yr and for it to function a sort of discover for fogeys that this yr, JAMB will admit college students who’re beneath that age however from subsequent yr, JAMB goes to insist that anyone making use of to go to school in Nigeria meets the required age which is eighteen.
“For the avoidance of doubt, this isn’t a brand new coverage; this can be a coverage that has been there for a very long time.
“Even mainly in the event you compute the variety of years pupils, and learners are alleged to be in class, the quantity you’ll find yourself with is 17 and a half – from early youngster care to main college to junior secondary college after which senior secondary college. You’ll find yourself with 17 and a half by the point they’re prepared for admission.
“So, we aren’t arising with new coverage opposite to what some individuals are saying; we’re simply merely reminding folks of what’s present. In any case, NECO and WAEC, henceforth won’t be permitting underage youngsters to jot down their examinations. In different phrases, if any individual has not spent the requisite variety of years in that exact stage of research, WAEC and NECO won’t permit them to jot down the examination.”