Re: Age for writing WASSCE as Outrage greets Minister’s directive

Professor Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies, a former female Presidential candidate and a lecturer at the Department of English and Communication Art, Faculty of Humanities, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE), has lent her voice to that of well meaning Nigerians, to weigh into the discussions on the right age to write West African senior school certificate examinations (WASSCE) and the right age to start university education, saying, “Leave the age at 17 to write school certificate examinations and 18 to start university education,” for the sake of successful implementation of our educational system for our upcoming generations.”

On the 18-year-old age limit for School Certificate directive by Education Minister Professor Tahir Mamman, Prof. Adesanya-Davies knocks the Minister of Education over the 18 years said set age limit, saying, “It’s unprecedented, unrealistic and unreasonable for pupils below 18 years not to be allowed to write next year’s school certificate examination while they are to start their university education at 18. The set age limit should rather be 17 years so they can catch up with the University at 18 possibly.”

In fact, “The directive by the education minister Professor Tahir Mamman to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council not to register candidates who are below 18 years for next year’s school certificate examinations has been generating knee-jerk resistance from people who are realistic about the calculations of the age limit rather than being idealistic uncalculative.”

According to Adesanya-Davies, it is inappropriate and a mistake to set 18 years instead of 17 years because the age to write school certificate examination, as well as write the JAMB examination is quite different from the age to start the university education itself. This is therefore a case of pure miscalculation!

Like in most countries of the world, children start primary school education at age 6, and young adults start university education when they are 18, but write the school certificate examination earlier before then. This is as well true in Nigeria, with the 6-3-3-4 educational system.

Since 1982, the 6-3-3-4 system education policy required that children should be at least 5 years old to start pre-primary school and at least 6 years old to start primary school. If a 6-year-old spends 6 years in primary school, 3 years in junior secondary school, and another 3 years in secondary school, they would be 17 by the
time they write the school certificate examinations, graduate from secondary school as well as write the JAMB examination and 18 years to start university education.

As rightly projected, this is the global standard in the United States, USA, Finland, Canada, the Netherlands, Japan, South Africa, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Denmark, etc., as students apply to enter universities between the ages of 18 and 19. The age benchmark isn’t arbitrary. It is based on time-honored insights from developmental psychology and educational research, which examined the cognitive, social, and emotional developments of children. As such, Nigeria is in order, there is no need for any over-zealous or over-adventurous modifications.

Professor Mamman cannot create a new law; but implement the existing law.
The existing law only
sets 18 years for university students entry and not taking school certificate examinationss at 18; he can only enforce an extant law.

“This is why the National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN) said they would have to sue the federal government for a mix up of one year in the education calend shoper,” while “critical stakeholders in the education sector have condemned the decision of the federal government to peg the age at which students can write the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations, SSCE, at 18, rather than 17, saying it will simply draw the education sector back.

The groups reacted to the comment by the Minister of Education, Prof. Mamman Tahir, that from 2025, any candidate who is not up to 18 would not be allowed to write the examination, and without doing so, such candidates won’t be able to seek admission to tertiary institutions.

The stakeholders, who spoke with Vanguard newspaper include, “The Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, the National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria, NAPTAN, the Congress of University Academics, CONUA, the Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU and a member of a non-governmental organisation, Concerned Parents and Educators Network, CPE.

“Are we going to say that all these groups are uninformed, unreasonable and unintelligent?, Of cause they are lnot!” Adesanya-Davies asks? “The government should begin to listen to the people and stakeholders,” she added.

Speaking on the matter, the Secretary General of the NUT, Dr Mike Ene, expressed disappointment at the development. According to him, it would simply negatively affect the education sector.

“ … They must consult widely on it. I am a member of the National Council on Education, NCE and we held a meeting in Lagos early this year and I am not sure such a matter was discussed. It is decisions taken at such a meeting that should be pursued.”

“The NCE comprises the ministers, commissioners for education in all states, the NUT, bodies such as WAEC, NECO, JAMB, UBEC and others. If that is done, what will become of gifted children?. Yes, in our days, people start school at six years, but we still had those who left secondary school before 18.”

”Now that our children start early, say by three years they are in creche, singing nursery rhymes, after that they move on. So, they complete secondary school education before 18, some a little over 16. Such students now, what will they be doing? Devil finds work for an idle hand, ” he said.

The Deputy National President of NAPTAN, Chief Adeolu Ogunbanjo, minced no word when approached by Vanguard. He said the body would challenge the matter in court.

“We have spoken to some lawyers on the matter, they said we should just be patient for the year 2025 to roll in. Around March next year, before WAEC and others start to conduct the SSCE, we will sue the government if they refuse to drop the policy. We will go to court because the minister wants to draw education back in the country.

“They simply want to kill knowledge and education in the country. They also want to kill the aspirations of parents to get their wards educated. It will mess the education sector. Let them just leave the policy at 16 years. The world has changed and we must change with it. What do they want those who leave secondary school before 18 to do? The policy is simply not in tune with the reality of the time, ” he stated.

The National President of CONUA, Dr Niyi Sunmonu, told one of our correspondents that his union would only support leaving the age to seek admission for further studies at 17.

” We are reiterating our earlier position. When the minister said early in the year that when he monitored the UTME, he saw some young chaps writing the exam and canvassed pegging the year at 18, we said 17 is okay. A student can leave secondary school at 16 or a little above that and seek admission for higher education at 17.”

“The minister should call a meeting of stakeholders in the sector to deliberate on it. The policy should go through the process of acceptance by all and even be legislated upon by the National Assembly.”

Adesanya-Davies concludes, this is my clarion call, no need to start going to court, our government should know much more than that. “Please, leave the age of the students at 17 to write school certificate examinations and 18 to start university education and make room for gifted children as well, for the sake of successful implementation of the educational system, there is no mixup of any sort here at all.