SSANU has criticized the federal government’s new policy requiring a minimum age of 18 for WAEC and NECO exams, warning it could harm the education sector and urging broader consultation, while also calling for the prompt payment of withheld salaries, extension of CNG buses to universities, addressing economic challenges, and condemning the suppression of protests.
The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has urged the federal government to consult with stakeholders regarding the Federal Ministry of Education’s new policy setting the minimum age for senior secondary school exams at 18, warning it could harm the education sector.
In a communique issued after its 49th National Executive Council meeting in Abuja, SSANU criticized the age restriction announced by the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir, which would bar individuals under 18 from taking WAEC and NECO exams from 2025, calling for broader consultation to avoid potential crises.
The union also expressed concerns over delays in the payment of four months of withheld salaries that President Bola Tinubu had directed to be released, and called on the government to extend the distribution of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses to universities to support staff and student transportation.
SSANU highlighted the need for the government to pay the earned allowances allocated in the 2023 budget and expedite negotiations on the SSANU/FGN 2009 Agreement to prevent industrial unrest in the education sector.
The union condemned the removal of fuel subsidies and the naira’s devaluation, which have led to widespread hardship, and criticized the government’s reintroduction of subsidies without lowering petrol prices, urging immediate repairs to local refineries to alleviate economic difficulties.
SSANU further called out systemic corruption, economic mismanagement, and poor governance as key contributors to Nigeria’s socio-economic challenges, urging the government to implement effective economic reforms, combat corruption, and address unemployment to prevent national collapse.
The union also condemned the suppression of protests, criticizing law enforcement for harassing peaceful protesters and warning against anti-democratic practices, urging professionalism to maintain stability in the country.
READ ALSO: FG Restricts Under-18s from Taking NECO and WAEC Exams
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