As outrage continues to trail the Federal Government’s decision to bar students below 18 years from writing the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE), there are strong indications that the Nigerian government may have bowed to pressure.

The government announced on Thursday that exceptional students below 18 may be allowed to sit for WASSCE and SSCE.

Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, hinted at the possibility of the exemption during a tour of the Federal Government Academy, Suleja Niger State also known as National School for the Gifted alongside Minister of State for Education, Dr. Tanko Sununu.

The Minister was asked If the 18-year age limit would apply to a school that raises intelligent students, and replied, “It may not and we are going to develop a criteria to guide what we will call gifted children.”

Last week, the Federal Government officially barred individuals under 18 from participating in the National Examinations Council (NECO) and West African Examinations Council (WAEC) examinations.

While appearing on a television programme, Education Minister, Prof. Tahir Mamman explained that the government had instructed WAEC, which conducts the WASSCE, and NECO, which oversees the SSCE, to enforce the 18-year age requirement for examination candidates.

He emphasized that this directive is not a new policy but a reaffirmation of existing regulations.

However, prominent Nigerians have faulted the decision including the Chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, Aare Afe Babalola, SAN.

The elder statesman and renowned legal practitioner wondered why the education of a child who had passed all pre-qualification requirements for admission into tertiary institutions should be truncated on the altar of age.

“This should not be so because age is not maturity,” he said. (The Guardian)

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