Senate Backs 18-Year Age Limit For University Admission
The Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and Tetfund have backed the decision of the Federal Government to adopt an 18-year age limit for enrollment into tertiary institutions.
The Committee Chairman, Senator Muntari Dandutse made this known when he led other members and the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Education, to monitor the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME in Abuja.
Senator Dandutse explained that having a minimum age limit for university education was necessary to maintain standards and ensure the students were ready for the task ahead.
He commended the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB for the smooth conduct of the examination so far and expressed the government’s commitment to improving the educational system.
The Chairman, of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and Tetfund advised the candidates to be focused and shun any act of malpractice during the examination.
A member of the committee, Senator Sunday Karimi, representing Kogi West said the Senate would support any policy geared towards enhancing the education sector.
“The law is there, but if it means to check it and amend and make sure we have a robust law, we are going to do that” Karimi stated.
The Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, while monitoring the ongoing UTME said that the Federal Government would look into adopting 18 years as the minimum age for entry into Tertiary Institutions in the country.
He decried the activities of some parents, who were pressuring their underage students to get admission into tertiary institutions.
The minister said that the 18-year benchmark is in line with the 6-3-3-4 system of education.
