The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, on Monday, said the Federal Government is considering adopting 18 years as the entry age for admission into universities and other tertiary institutions of learning.
The minister also pointed out that underage students are contributing to some of the problems encountered in higher institutions.
Reacting to this development, the President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, welcomed the government’s proposition, describing it as a step in the right direction.
“We are in full support. It is the right thing. What the minister said is correct,” ASUU President told newsmen in an interview.
He added, “The issue of age benchmark is not a new thing. It’s just that regulators have not been doing their work.
“In those days, you could not go to primary school if you were not six years old. Then you spend six years and finish at age 12; and then by the time you get to secondary school you spend six years and then you graduate by 18,” Osodeke explained.
Truth Live News recalls that the standard admission age currently set by most tertiary institutions in the country is 16 years unless a candidate is certified as gifted.