The Minister of Education Prof. Tahir Mamman has disclosed the the federal government’s readiness to revive the policy that bars individuals under the age of 18 from taking part in the National Examinations Council and West African Examinations Council exams.
According to him, the federal government has directed the West African Examination Council, the body conducting the Senior School Certificate Examination, and National Examination Council, the state body conducting examination to enforce the 18-year age requirement for candidates wishing to take these exams.
He stressed that this was not a new policy as this had been the practice in the past. He added that the age limit for candidates sitting for JAMB examinations would also be 18 years.
He said, “For the avoidance of doubt, this is not a new policy; this is a policy that has been there for a long time.
“So, we are not coming up with a new policy contrary to what some people are saying; we are just simply reminding people of what is existing. In any case, NECO and WAEC, henceforth will not be allowing underage children to write their examinations.
“In other words, if somebody has not spent the requisite number of years in that particular level of study, WAEC and NECO will not allow them to write the examination.”
The efforts to enforce age restrictions on students is a move that would generate rejection from the society as age has hardly proven to be a hindrance to a child’s performance in school.
