- The 18-year admission benchmark into tertiary institutions has been abolished by the new Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa.
- The decision allows students under 18 to gain admission into tertiary institutions.
- The minister also hinted at reviewing the nation’s education policy.
- However, the federal government’s decision to void 22,700 degree certificates from “fake” universities in Togo and Benin Republic remains unchanged.
The Federal Government has reversed its policy requiring students to be at least 18 years old to gain admission into tertiary institutions. This decision was announced by the new Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa. The previous policy, which was based on the 6-3-3-4 education system, aimed to ensure students attained maturity before entering tertiary education ¹. However, critics argued that the policy would lead to idle youth, vulnerable to social vices, and hinder Nigeria’s vibrant and tech-savvy youth from advancing their education. With this reversal, students under 18 can now seek admission to tertiary institutions.
It’s worth noting that the minister’s decision does not affect the federal government’s stance on invalidating degree certificates obtained from certain universities in neighboring countries. Approximately 22,700 degree certificates remain void ¹. The minister’s announcement was made during his inaugural press conference in Abuja, where he also mentioned potential reviews to the nation’s education policy.
