Atiku Questions Federal Govt’s Age Limit Policy For Tertiary Institutions

Former VicePresident Atiku Abubakar has criticised the recent policy of the Federal Government, pegging age limit for entry into tertiary institutions at 18 years.

The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, in a recent TV interview reiterated that the age limit for candidates sitting for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), administered by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), remains 18 years.

Federal Gov’t Bars Under 18 From NECO, WAEC Exams

This is just as he the government has barred individuals under the age of 18 from taking part in the National Examinations Council (NECO) and West African Examinations Council (WAEC) exams.

But, Atiku, taking to his Facebook handle on Wednesday, described the policy as absurd and disincentive to scholarship.

He said the policy gives a graphic impression of how President Tinubu government behaves like a lost sailor on a high sea.

The former VP said: “The policy runs foul of the notion of delineation of responsibilities in a federal system of government such as we are practicing, 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.

“Therefore, it is extra-constitutional for the federal government to legislate on education in a manner similar to a decree.

“The best global standard for such regulation is to allow the sub-national governments to make respective laws or rules on education.

“It is discouraging that even while announcing this obnoxious policy, the government inadvertently said it had no plan to cater for specially gifted pupils. That statement is an embarrassment to the body of intellectuals in the country because it portrays Nigeria as a country where gifted students are not appreciated.

“The irony here is that should the federal government play any role in education, it is to set up mechanisms that will identify and grant scholarships to gifted students not minding their ages before applying for admission into tertiary institutions.”

“This controversial policy belongs in the Stone Ages and should be roundly condemned by everyone who believes in intellectual freedom and accessibility,” he added.