A group, Education Rights Campaign, has called on the Federal Government to suspend the 18 years age limit for taking the West African Examination Certificate
By Diana Omueza
A group, Education Rights Campaign, has called on the Federal Government to suspend the 18 years age limit for taking the West African Examination Certificate (WAEC) and National Examination Council (NECO).
Mr Hassan Soweto, National Coordinator of the group made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja.
NAN reports that the Federal Government recently announced a new policy setting the age limit for WAEC and NECO candidates at 18.
The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, instructed WAEC and NECO administrators of the Senior School Certificate Examinations to enforce the policy.
Soweto described the policy as needless and unnecessary.
According to him, government should suspend the move and address other educational policies that directly affect students, and the education system in the country.
“The minister’s statement is trying to force us into a needless controversy rather than on how to make the education system work.
“We recognise the need to protect our children but this policy is an attempt to weed out many students from gaining admission probably because of insufficient space in the universities, ” he said.
Soweto said that the 6-3-3-4 education system responsible for producing students from 18 years who should be eligible for admission into universities had failed.
He said this calls for concern and not the introduction of another policy.
The coordinator appealed to the government not to punish students who had proven to be exceptional, by passing the WAEC and NECO examinations.
He urged the government to address issues of double and triple promotion of students to other classes, especially in private schools and early admission of children into primary and secondary schools.
“There is need to have a proper conversation with stakeholders on educational development.
“The age limit policy will look like a punishment to thousands of students who are exceptionally brilliant and have qualified to be admitted into universities.
“We must insist that this policy be suspended; stakeholders’ discussion on all the metrics is also required.
“There should be a national summit by government to re-examine the 6-3-3-4 system. There, stakeholders can make input and the national education policy updated.
“Government is also expected to address challenges such as poor education funding, perennial strikes by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), poor infrastructures, and brain-drain,” Soweto said.(NAN)
