The Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) has criticised the Federal Government’s decision to ban candidates under 18 from taking the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the National Examination Council (NECO) exams.
In an interview with PUNCH, NUT Secretary-General Dr Mike Ene argued that societal changes, such as early enrollment in crèches due to economic pressures, make it impractical to restrict education based on age.
“The only way this policy could work is if it’s implemented from the foundation. By that, I mean starting at the primary school level. In the past, before a child was allowed to start school, they had to pass a basic test — like reaching their hand over their head to touch the opposite ear. If they couldn’t, they were sent back home.”
“However, things have changed. Nowadays, due to economic pressures, parents enrol their children in crèches early, which means both parents have to work.”
“Teachers at these crèches begin to educate the children, and they start learning quickly. You can’t stop them from learning because the brain is structured to keep developing—once learning stops, it stagnates.”
He added that exceptional students, who might be younger but academically advanced, were not considered in the policy, warning that the policy could lead to legal challenges
“You also have to consider exceptional students. Some students are 16 years old in SS3. Is the minister taking these scenarios into account? What are these students supposed to do? Wait, two more years? I see this as a policy that could lead to numerous legal challenges. The government needs to rethink this thoroughly. It is poorly conceived.” he noted, referring to the policy as poorly conceived.
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