Senate Panel Backs 18-year Minimum Entry Age Into Tertiary Institutions »

The Senate Committee on Tertiary institution and TETFund has backed the Federal Government’s plan to review the entry age into tertiary institutions.

Its Chairman, Muntari Dandutse, announced this during the monitoring of the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) yesterday in Abuja.

The Senate committee members were joined by members of the House of Representatives Committee on Education to monitor the examination as part of their oversight functions.

Addressing reporters after the monitoring, Dandutse and another committee member, Sunday Karimi, said the Red Chamber had nothing against the entry age the education minister announced on Monday.

Karimi said by restricting admission of pupils at 12 years old before secondary, the government would ensure that they possess the cognitive and emotional readiness necessary to navigate the challenges of secondary education effectively.

He said: “By the time a student who enters secondary school at the age of 12 years completes his secondary school programme, he is already at the age of 18, as stipulated.

“The law was already on the ground backing that. However, if there is a need for any amendment to make it stronger, we are ready to do that.”

The lawmaker hailed JAMB for providing the enabling atmosphere for candidates to write a seamless examination.