….Says Policy Meant To Stagnate Education In Some Regions
Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State, Mr. Fidelis Soriwei has begged President Bola Tinubu to jettison Education Minister, Tahir Mamman’s directive on 18 years age limit for writing the secondary school leaving examinations, saying such policy is meant to stagnate education in some regions of the country.
He made the appeal in his Facebook post.
Soriwei said the policy would stagnate educational development in some parts of the country.
Recall that during an appearance on Channels Television on Sunday, the education minister said that the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) which administers the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) which organises the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) had been directed to comply with the directive on 18 years age limit for any candidate to be eligible for the two examinations.
Mamman further said that the age limit for any candidate to write the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) remained 18 years.
“For the avoidance of doubt, this is not a new policy; this is a policy that has been there for a long time.
“Even basically if you compute the number of years pupils, and learners are supposed to be in school, the number you will end up with is 17 and a half – from early child care to primary school to junior secondary school and then senior secondary school.
“You will end up with 17 and a half by the time they are ready for admission.
“So, we are not coming up with new policy contrary to what some people are saying; we are just simply reminding people of what is existing,” he said.
However, Soriwei has appealed to Tinubu to reject the enforcement of the policy which he said belonged to the past.
He said, “The Minister of Education has constructed a world for himself in the PAST. What a Burden!
“This policy of preventing students below the age of 18 from writing WASC or NECO is the most weird of government policies I have seen in recent Nigeria.
“What does the minister of education want? I was never 17 when I wrote WAEC!
“Clearly, I see that this man is up to a sinister plot to stagnate education in the some parts of the country. This policy stinks.
“The President and his handlers should resist this weird display of atavism.”