The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) 2023 Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has criticized the Federal Government’s decision to introduce an 18-year age limit for candidates writing NECO and WAEC exams.
Atiku described the policy as absurd and a significant barrier to students’ pursuit of education and scholarship opportunities.
Persecondnews reported that the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, announced the ban while featuring on the Channels Television programme, ‘Sunday Politics’ anchored by Seun Okinbaloye.
According to Mamman, the FG has mandated WAEC and NECO to enforce a strict 18-year age requirement for all candidates seeking to take the West African Senior School Certificate Examination and Senior School Certificate Examination.
Reacting, the former Vice President took to his verified Facebook page on Wednesday to criticize the policy as outdated.
He described the policy as controversial and urged those who value intellectual freedom and accessibility to universally condemn it.
He said: “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 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.”
Atiku stressed that the best global practice is to grant sub-national governments the autonomy to develop and implement their own education laws and regulations, tailored to their specific needs and contexts.
He added: “Therefore, it is extra-constitutional for the federal government to legislate on education like 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 to 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.”
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