The Federal Ministry of Education has clarified that there are no age restrictions preventing students under 18 from taking the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) exams.
The Minister of State for Education, Dr. Yusuf Sununu, made this announcement during an event in Abuja marking the 2024 International Literacy Day.
Dr. Sununu addressed the public’s confusion regarding a previous statement by the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, which was widely misinterpreted.
He explained that Prof. Mamman was referring to the entry age into tertiary institutions, which, according to the 6:3:3:4 educational system, is set at 18 years.
“We have agreed that we are going to consider it as a work-in-progress. The National Assembly is working and we are also working.
“It was shocking to say that a university in this country gave admission to children at ages 10, 11 and 12 years. This is totally wrong.
“We are not saying that there are no exceptions, we know we can have talented students that have the IQ of an adult even at age 6 and 7, but these are very few.
“There must be a rule, and the ministry is looking at developing a guideline on how to identify a talented child so that parents don’t say we are blocking their children’s chances.
“Nobody said no child will write WAEC, NECO or any other examination unless at age 18. This is a misconception and misrepresentation of what we have said,” he said.
