By Sulyman Pakoyi

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More reactions continued to trail the Federal Government’s decision to raise the benchmark for admission seekers into tertiary institutions from 16 to 18 years.

The Minister of Education Prof. Tahir Mamman, expressed concern that parents are pressuring their wards at ages 15 and 16 to gain admission into tertiary institutions, declaring that admission should not be given to candidates below 18 since Nigeria operates the 6-3-3-4 education system.

The Joint Admissions Matriculation Board (JAMB) also said that candidates who are 16 years old would be considered for admissions into tertiary institutions for the 2024 academic year, however, the entry age would be 18 years as from 2025 academic year.

Reacting, Dr Illayas Rasaq, a lecturer at the University of Abuja highlighted the potential benefits of the 16-year-old benchmark which would have “positive implications for the educational system.”

“At Sixteen years of age, it will be easy for the newly admitted students to be focused on studies, resist the undue pressure of bad influence and rationalize on merits of whatever they indulge in,” he said.

His position was supported by Nigerians who spoke with The Hope.

Ms. Hamanah Omotola and Mr Taofeek Ademola, who said that the 18-year benchmark won’t necessarily improve the educational quality in Nigeria but rather less to strict admission requirements, citing  incessant strikes in public varsities as additional hurdle for students.

Supporting the new 18 years old age benchmark, a Senior Assistant Registrar (Admission) at Kwara State university, Mr Ibrahim Nurudeen, supported the new benchmark to be a welcome idea.

He stressed the importance of maturity, emotional and native intelligence for academic performance, as against the backdrops of what is witnessed in the universities.

Also, Mr Adeniyi John, an Assistant lecturer at Adekunle Ajasin university noted that underage students are either pressured by their parents or sat for WAEC examinations at an early age, a phenomenon he said “affects their academic performance”.

Similarly, Mr Adeola Ibrahim, a public affairs analyst and a lecturer noted that underage students struggle to cope with their academic performance and find it hard to adapt to university environment.

He expected the government to begin the full implementation of the policy in the next two or three years, especially in federal universities.

The Senate has highlighted the need for broad consultation with all relevant stakeholders, including parents, teachers, legislators, civil society organizations, and even international bodies, before implementing such a significant change.