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Education Minister Refutes Claims of Barring Under-18 Students from Writing WASSCE, NECO
The Federal Ministry of Education clarified that students under 18 are still allowed to take WASSCE and NECO exams, and the previous comments about age restrictions were misunderstood and related to tertiary institution entry requirements, not school exams.
The Federal Ministry of Education has clarified that students under the age of 18 are still permitted to take the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) exams.
Dr. Yusuf Sununu, the Minister of State for Education, made this clarification in Abuja on Friday during an event marking the 2024 International Literacy Day (ILD), while addressing journalists.
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This statement follows remarks made by Education Minister Tahir Mamman on August 25th, where he mentioned that the Federal Government had instructed the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and NECO not to allow underage students to sit for their exams. However, Sununu emphasized that the public had misunderstood and misinterpreted Mamman’s comments, which he found disappointing.
Sununu explained that Minister Mamman’s remarks were actually referring to the 18-year entry age requirement for tertiary institutions, as per the 6:3:3:4 education system.
“We have agreed that this is a work-in-progress. The National Assembly is engaged, and we are also working on it,” Sununu stated.
He further expressed concerns about instances where some universities in the country admitted students as young as 10, 11, and 12 years old, which he deemed inappropriate.
“We are not denying that exceptions exist; we recognize that some students may have the intellect of adults even at ages as young as 6 or 7, but such cases are rare. There must be a standard rule, and the ministry is considering guidelines for identifying exceptionally talented children to ensure that parents do not feel that their children’s opportunities are being blocked,” Sununu added.
He clarified that at no point did the ministry state that students must be 18 to sit for WAEC, NECO, or any other examinations, describing such claims as misconceptions and misrepresentations of the ministry’s position, as reported by NAN.
