The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has announced the reversal of the previous administration’s decision to set an 18-year age benchmark for admissions into tertiary institutions. During his inaugural press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, Alausa clarified that the initial decision was based on the structure of the National Policy on Education.
“We will not proceed with the 18-year admission benchmark; instead, we will adopt 16 years and will engage with JAMB and other relevant bodies on this matter. There will also be exceptions for gifted students. The 18-year benchmark is no longer part of our policy,” he stated.
In addition to the admission age change, Alausa addressed the ongoing issue of certificates obtained from Benin Republic and Togo, confirming that the current policy would remain in place to combat the prevalence of fake certificates in the system.
The minister identified the issue of out-of-school children as a key priority for the ministry, highlighting plans to explore various strategies to reduce their numbers. The ministry aims to collaborate with the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs to implement conditional cash transfers as incentives to increase school enrollment.
Furthermore, Alausa announced the introduction of nutritional programs to support students’ health and enhance human capital development.
Credit: NAN (Text Excluding Headline)
