Minister faces lawsuit over 18-year age limit for WAEC and NECO

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In a move that has sparked nationwide controversy, the Nigerian Minister of Education will be facing a major legal battle over the age restriction for writing the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examinations Council (NECO) exams.

The policy, which mandates that students must be at least 18 years old to sit for these critical exams, has drawn the ire of education stakeholders across the country.

In an interview with Pulse Nigeria, Phrank Shaibu, Special Assistant to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Public Communication, expressed his strong opposition to the policy branding it as a “mark of wretched illiteracy” and a “political game” that threatens to jeopardise the future of Nigerian youths.

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Shaibu pointed out that the policy is flawed and impractical, especially given the structure of Nigeria’s education system.

“How can a minister wake up and say that until a child gets to 18, they cannot write their Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE)?” he questioned, arguing that such a restriction would delay students’ academic progress unnecessarily.

He further criticised the tradition among education ministers to frequently change educational policies without proper assessment.

“Every Nigerian minister of education comes in and names or rechristens our educational policy, playing politics with our education. This is absolutely wrong,” Shaibu emphasised.

At the heart of his argument is the fact that a significant number of Nigerian students, especially those from rural areas, do not benefit from early childhood education.

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He explained that while a child typically reaches Senior Secondary School 3 (SS3) by the age of 16, the new policy would force them to wait for an additional two years before writing their exams, a move that he believes will lead to academic decline and increased rates of examination malpractice.

“By the minister’s understanding, that child should now withdraw and stay at home until they get to 18 before writing the exam. How do you think that child will pass the SSCE after such a long gap?” Shaibu asked rhetorically.

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