By Adeyinka Adeniran
Mixed reactions is trailing the decision of the Federal government to peg the age limit of new University entrants to 18 years. While some stakeholders sees it as needless, others think it is a welcome development that must be pursued across board.
Recall that the Federal Government’s had directed that candidates less than 18 years old should not be admitted into tertiary institutions in the country.
Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman gave the directive recently during a monitoring of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) at Bwari, the Federal Capital Territory.
He decried the activities of some parents, who were compelling their underage children to get admission into tertiary institutions, explaining that the 18-year benchmark is in line with the 6-3-3-4 system of education.
He said, “The minimum age of entry into the university is 18, but we have seen students who are 15, 16 years going in for the entrance examination. Parents should be encouraged not to push their wards too much. Mostly, it is the pressure of parents that is causing this.
“We are going to look at this development because the candidates are too young to understand what the whole university education is all about.”
But, reacting, a former Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Professor Idowu Olayinka said the federal government must learn to allow the Senate of every institution determine the desirability of what is workable for its system.
Olayinka, a Professor of over 25years said the Universities with its huge concentration of scholars, academics and people of high repute must not be a mere appendages of the Ministry of Education.
He wondered if any empirical research was carried out to justify the proposed increase in the minimum entry age of students into the Universities.
He said each University should be allowed to operate what has been operating before now which has worked so well.
The former VC said, “According to a Yoruba proverb, if we say the truth we will die whenever God says our time in this world is over; if we also refused, ignored and neglected to say the truth we would still die some day when the almighty God says our time is over. One should be able to make a choice guided by his/her conscience. It is in this context that I make the following comments as a stakeholder who has spent the last 36 years as a Lecturer in the Nigerian University System, the last 25 years as a Professor.
“The privilege to serve for five years as Vice-Chancellor of Nigeria’s premier University has provided cognate experience in this regards as well as serving on the Council of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) in London and as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Alliance for Research Universities in Africa (ARUA) based in Johannesburg, South Africa.
“The Honourable Minister of Education is reported to have decreed that 18 years would henceforth be the minimum age for the admission of students into our universities. Without prejudice to the desirability or otherwise of this policy, what is the role of the Senate of each University in such matters. The last time I checked, the admission of suitably qualified candidates in a University is the responsibility of the Senate of each University. One is not aware if this part of the University of Ibadan Act 1962 (as amended) has been repealed.
“Why do we work so hard to relegate our Universities into a mere appendage of the Ministry of Education. One is not sure whether there has been any empirical research carried out to justify the proposed increase in the minimum entry age into our Universities. Each University should be allowed to operate what it has been operating before now which has worked so well.
“It is probably not fair for the Federal Ministry of Education to ignore and neglect the laws governing our Universities so summarily.
“A notable and prestigious University like the Obafemi Awolowo University Ile – Ife has never, in the wisdom of its founding fathers, specified any minimum age for admission as far as I am aware while the guideline in UI has always being a minimum of 16 years of age as far back as the 1970s when we were undergraduates here. The two Universities are just about 80 kilometres apart, but they operate different age requirements at the point of admission of students.
“The point here is that there should be flexibility rather than the provocative attempt to over-centralize nearly all matters. The Senate of the University of Ibadan has no less than 400 Professors. This must rank among the highest concentration of brain power in Sub-Saharan Africa. Why can such a body of eminent scholars in diverse disciplines not be able to design a good policy for admission for the University rather than wait on a circular from Abuja being imposed on it. This is clearly a negation of the tenets of University Autonomy.
“It is the same tendency of over centralising critical matters that has imposed the controversial Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standard (CCMAS) on the entire Nigerian University System. By all standards the CCMAS is inferior to the Benchmark Minimum Academic Standard (BMAS) that we have been using for decades. Why change a winning team for a flawed template.
“We do not need to homogenize nearly every aspect of the Nigerian University System, including the current debate on minimum age. Variety is the spice of life.”
But, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Erudite Group of Schools, Ibadan, Chief Saheed Oladele said the policy is in order as it is in tandem with standards in developed countries.
Noting that the policy have more advantages to the student, the school and the country, Oladele said government must show genuine political will and interest at implementing the policy and not do it selectively.
Oladele said “I am in support of that because it has a lot of benefits. Number one, we need to make sure that the brains of these children fully develop before they go to the university. Many of the children that we are sending to the university are not mature, and that is why many of them are failing in the university.
“Secondly, our staying at home for about one year is any opportunity for them to learn a skill before they go to the university. What is the point of going to the university when what they are going to learn will be more of theory, and then the university doesn’t give them the opportunity to learn a skill. So, staying at home till 18, I believe it’s an opportunity for them to learn a skill,
“Thirdly, I considered this as an opportunity for Nigerian students who will be going to the university to do what their mates around the world are doing. To go to the university in UK, you need to be 18, so this is not peculiar to Nigeria. To go to the University in Canada, you will at least be 17, so these world class universities are not taking children into their classrooms, they are taking those whose brains are fully developed into their classrooms.
“Number four, what is the essence of rushing these children into the Universities? What has it done for our nation in terms of development? I cannot say, that is why I am in support of getting these children to stay at home till age 18 before they go to the university because going to the university at the age of 16 has not not been doing so well for the country, so what is the point.
“Most of our parents who did A’ Levels during their own times are more better than us these days. Please I am only in support of this if the FG will be serious with this policy. If they won’t be serious with it, then I can’t beat my chest. I mean it shouldn’t be that they will not enforce it for some people while some people children will be going to private universities at the age of 14 or 15.
“If they want to make it a policy and they really have the interest of the masses at heart, they should enforce it for everybody. You don’t get to the university until you are 18. It is doable and achievable. And then, government should increase their campaign on skills and not just degrees.”
