Minister of education Tunji Alausa has reversed the previous decision on the 18-year admission age benchmark for tertiary institutions.
Speaking at his inaugural press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, Dr Alausa explained that the original decision stemmed from the design of the National Policy on Education. However, he announced that the government would now adopt a 16-year admission age, and would engage with the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and other stakeholders to implement the change.
“There will also be exceptions for gifted students. The 18-year admission age is no longer part of our policy,” Alausa stated.
The 18-year admission policy, which former minister Prof Tahir Mamman planned to implement from next year, was greeted with disapproval from the general public.
Regarding the ongoing issue of certificates obtained from Benin Republic and Togo, Alausa confirmed that the policy to withdraw such certificates would remain in place to help eliminate fake credentials from the education system.
On the issue of out-of-school children, Alausa emphasised that addressing this challenge is a top priority for the ministry. He added that the ministry would explore various solutions to reduce the number of children not enrolled in school, including collaborating with the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs to provide conditional cash transfers as incentives for enrolment.
The minister also announced plans to introduce nutritional programmes aimed at improving students’ health, which would contribute to enhancing human capital development.
Alausa and Suwaiba Ahmad, the minister of state for education, were officially welcomed by the permanent secretary, Dr. Nasiru Sani-Gwarzo.
