The National Assembly has announced plans to introduce comprehensive legislation to establish 18 years old as the minimum age requirement for admission into tertiary educational institutions. This decision was disclosed by Sen. Muntari Dandutse, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, during the ongoing monitoring of the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) in Abuja on Tuesday.
Sen. Dandutse, representing Katsina South, was joined on the visit by other members of his committee and counterparts from the Committee on Higher Education in the House of Representatives. He emphasized that while age should not be a barrier to accessing tertiary education, the proposed age limit of 18 years, as suggested by the Minister of Education, is crucial and will be upheld in the forthcoming legislation.
Echoing his sentiments, Sen. Sunday Karimi, representing Kogi West, highlighted the existing law that mandates admission to be granted only to candidates who are 18 years old. He emphasized the need to amend and strengthen this law in light of recent developments.
“Age should not be a barrier, but there is also an age limit and minimum,” Sen. Karimi stated. “Before you can enter primary school, you have to be six years, before you can enter secondary school, you have to be 12 years, so before you can enter the university, you have to be 18 years.”
The directive to establish the 18-year benchmark for admission into tertiary institutions was issued by the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman. The minister expressed concern over the activities of parents pressuring underage students to gain admission into tertiary institutions, emphasizing that the age requirement is in line with the 6-3-3-4 system of education.
