Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has raised concerns over the government’s decision to restrict the age of candidates for tertiary institutions.... CLICK TO READ THE FULL NEWS HERE▶▶
His comment comes after the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman announced that the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council, will no longer accept candidates below the age of 18.
In response, Atiku believes the recent policy belongs to the stone ages and a discouragement to scholarship.
Atiku expressed his disappointment in the federal government for their decision not to cater to specially gifted individuals.
He said, “The policy runs afoul of the notion of delineation of responsibilities in a federal system of government such as we are practicing, and gives a graphic impression of how the Tinubu government behaves like a lost sailor on a high sea. Otherwise, how is such an anti-scholarship regulation the next logical step in the myriad of issues besetting our educational system?
“To be clear, the Nigerian constitution puts education in the concurrent list of schedules, in which the sub-national government enjoys more roles above the federal government.
“Therefore, it is extra-constitutional for the federal government to legislate on education in a manner similar to a decree.
“The best global standard for such regulation is to allow the sub-national governments to make respective laws or rules on education.
“It is discouraging that even while announcing this obnoxious policy, the government inadvertently said it had no plan to cater for specially gifted pupils.
“That statement is an embarrassment to the body of intellectuals in the country because it portrays Nigeria as a country where gifted students are not appreciated.
“The irony here is that should the federal government play any role in education, it is to set up mechanisms that will identify and grant scholarships to gifted students not minding their ages before applying for admission into tertiary institutions.
“This controversial policy belongs in the Stone Ages and should be roundly condemned by everyone who believes in intellectual freedom and accessibility.”
