A one-time Kaduna Central Senator in the 8th Senate, Shehu Sani, has tackled the Federal Government over its initial ban against admission for under-18 candidates into tertiary institutions, saying some persons were born as geniuses.
Shehu Sani, a human rights activist, who described the government’s initial move as a wrong one, therefore, warned against wasting students’ intellect.
LEADERSHIP reports that the decision by the federal government to prohibit admissions for individuals under 18 years had sparked protest among stakeholders in the education sector at the 2024 Policy Meeting on admissions into tertiary institutions in Abuja on Thursday.
The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, had initially announced a ban on admissions for candidates under the age of 18 into tertiary institutions in the country while speaking at the meeting.
The Minister had cited potential detrimental effects on both students’ academic prospects and institutional operations of admitting underage students.
However, the announcement prompted fierce opposition from education stakeholders present, causing murmuring midway into the Minister’s address.
Mamman had announced during the 2024 policy meeting of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) thus; “JAMB is hereby notified that there is now a ban on underaged students from this 2024 admissions.”
The minister said the Federal Government was considering the adoption of 18 years as the entry age for admission into universities and other tertiary institutions of learning.
Eventually, the entry age was reverted to 16 with a declaration that it would be 18 by 2025 admission year.
But, reacting to the developments, the former federal lawmaker, who took to his X handle (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, wrote: “Banning Under 18 from gaining admission into university is wrong. Some are born geniuses. Don’t waste their intellect.”