Education

The 18-Year-Old Age Limit For School Certificate – By Farooq A. Kperogi

Published

2 years ago

August 31, 2024

Editor

The directive by education minister Professor Tahir Mamman to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council to not register candidates who are below 18 for next year’s school certificate examinations is generating knee-jerk resistance from people who are obviously nescient of the psychology and philosophy behind age benchmarks in education.

In most countries of the world, children don’t start primary school until they are 6, and young adults don’t start university until they are 18. That used to be true in Nigeria, too—until parents chose to skirt the law, upend time-tested tradition, and commit mass child abuse in the name of fast-tracking the education their children.

In fact, contrary to what the Nigerian news media has been reporting, Professor Mamman has not created a new law; he is only implementing the existing law. He hasn’t “banned” under-18 students from taking school certificate exams; he has merely chosen to enforce an extant law, which has been serially violated by overeager parents who want their children to get ahead by any means.

The 1982 education policy, also called the 6:3:3:4 system, requires that children should be at least 5 years old to start pre-primary school and at least 6 years old to start primary school. If a 6-year-old spends 6 years in primary school, 3 years in junior secondary school, and another 3 years in secondary school, they would be 18 by the time they graduate from secondary school.

This is the global standard. In the United States, students apply to enter universities between the ages of 18 and 19 (because if you don’t turn 6 in September of the year you want to start First Grade, you have to wait until next year). In Finland, Canada, the Netherlands, Japan, South Africa, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Denmark, etc. it is 18.

The age benchmark isn’t arbitrary. It is based on time-honored insights from developmental psychology and educational research, which examined the cognitive, social, and emotional developments of children.

For example, Jean Piaget’s stages of cognitive development tell us that around age 6, children transition from what is called the preoperational stage to the concrete operational stage, at which point they begin to develop logical thinking, which is essential for learning the structured curriculum of primary school education, such as reading, writing, and mathematics.

Research also shows that children develop the social skills needed to interact with peers and teachers in a school environment and the attention span necessary to learn, absorb information, and stay engaged at 6, and that children who start school too early struggle with these skills, which can lead to long-term challenges in academic and social areas.

That was why the late Professor Aliu Babatunde Fafunwa was famous for saying any education of children before the age of 5 is a waste of time and even child abuse. From ages 1 through 5, children should be allowed to be children: sleep, play, laugh, and grow.

Of course, I recognize that because most mothers now work, enrolling children in schools earlier than is ideal is a necessity.

But the busy schedule of parents is no excuse to buck science, ignore the requirements of a well-integrated childhood, and contribute to the mass production of maladjusted adults.

Similarly, research in developmental psychology shows that by age 18, most teenagers have reached a level of emotional and social maturity that enables them to live independently, make decisions, and handle the challenges of university life.

Neuroscientific research also shows that the brain continues to develop well into the early twenties, particularly the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for decision-making, impulse control, and planning. By age 18, the brain has typically matured enough to handle the complex cognitive demands of higher education.

Plus, in many countries, including in Nigeria, 18 is the age of legal adulthood, which aligns with the transition to university.

This legal framework supports the idea that students are ready to take on the responsibilities associated with higher education, such as managing their own time, finances, and education.

Of course, as with everything, there are always exceptions. Precocious children can and do skip grades and start university earlier than 18 even in the United States and elsewhere. There are exceptionally gifted children who graduate from university as early as 11. But such students undergo rigorous tests to determine that they have intelligence that is far ahead of normal developmental schedules. They are also few and far between.

That’s not the situation in Nigeria. Just like our bad national habit of always wanting to jump the queue—what Americans call cut in line—Nigerian parents have, over the years, developed impatience for the normal development schedules of their children and want them to get ahead against the evidence of science, common sense, and even the law of the land.

It is not because their children are exceptional. In fact, they are often mediocre. For example, my brother’s son, who is only 14 years old and with average intelligence, registered to take his WAEC exam this year. I told my brother that was inexcusable child abuse.

Nigeria has a bad reputation across the world for sending underage children not just to domestic universities but also to foreign universities. People who work at the International Student and Scholar Services at the university where I am a professor have asked me multiple times why only Nigeria sends underage students here.

The consensus is that such students often lack maturity, have difficulty engaging in adult conversations, and struggle to fit in and get the best of the opportunities they have.

Several Nigerians who teach at other U.S. universities share the same stories. As I pointed out earlier, here in the United States, like in most other countries of the world, students don’t begin their undergraduate education until they are 18, which also happens to be the age of consent. A student who is under 18, by law, can’t attend several extra-curricular activities undergraduates typically take part in.

They need waivers signed by their parents to participate in certain activities, but since their parents are often in Nigeria, they pose logistical nightmares for universities.

For example, in the United States, by law, you can’t sign a lease agreement (to rent an apartment) if you are not at least 18 years old. Many underage Nigerian undergraduates at my school require an adult to co-sign for them. Since their parents are in Nigeria, the burden often falls on Nigerian professors and staff, who are understandably reluctant to co-sign leases of underage strangers who could break their agreements and put us in legal jeopardy.

Dating is also a treacherous legal minefield for the American classmates of underage Nigerian undergraduates in American universities. Having intimate relationship with anyone who is under 18 is statutory rape, even if it is consensual. I am aware of the story of a 17-year-old second-year Nigerian undergraduate girl who had a disagreement with her boyfriend who was from another African country.

Neighbors called the police to intervene. When the police asked for their ID cards, they discovered that the Nigerian girl was underaged. It led to the imprisonment—and later deportation— of the man for statutory rape even when their relationship was consensual. Stories like this are not unique.

Unless someone is exceptionally gifted, which should be proved conclusively with special tests, they should not start university earlier than 18. Fortunately, that is already the law, which is informed by the consensus of research findings in developmental psychology, neuroscience, and social research. Professor Mamman has only signaled his readiness to apply the law. He has my full support.

I read that the National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN) said they would sue the federal government for indicating readiness to implement a law that has been in the books for more than 40 years. Good luck with that!

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Education

Juvenile Prosecution Commences For Suspects In Igbinedion School Assault

Published

2 weeks ago

March 21, 2026

Editor

The Edo State Police Command confirmed on Saturday, that all suspects involved in the viral bullying incident at the Igbinedion Education Centre in Benin City have been arrested.

Videos that went viral from the school showed some students being beaten, flogged and kicked by supposed senior students.

The state command, in a statement by its spokesman, Eno Ikoedem, said the arrests were made after investigation and the suspects would be charged to the family court in accordance with laws guiding juvenile justice and child protection.

The statement read, “The Edo State Police Command wishes to update the general public on the viral bullying incident which has generated widespread concern and public reactions across the state.

“Following a thorough and painstaking investigation, the Command confirms that all individuals directly connected to the incident have been identified, while those implicated have been apprehended and are being charged to the family court in accordance with extant laws guiding juvenile justice and child protection.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that the incident originated on Thursday 5/03/2026 when two female students, names withheld, both aged 14, had a disagreement with a fellow student. During the altercation, the said student reportedly uttered offensive words directed at their late father, specifically saying, ‘Ogun kill your papa.’

“Angered by the remark, the girls allegedly attacked the student after school hours. In the course of the assault, a parent, who had come to pick up her son, intervened but the two girls, still enraged, turned on the woman, physically confronting her and dragging her clothes. The school management subsequently intervened and expelled the girls for engaging in violent conduct.

“On the following day (06/03/2026), a retaliatory incident occurred. The male student, whose mother was earlier assaulted, attacked the victim in the viral video in what has been identified as a revenge assault, which was recorded and posted by one of the students. The victim being the brother of the girls that assaulted his mother.

“The Commissioner of Police has ordered the immediate deployment and intensification of the Operation Safe Schools Initiative across secondary schools in Edo State, with a mandate to identify the gap in supervision and leverage lessons learnt in this matter, to prevent a recurrence.

“Additionally, the Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices has been mobilised to engage students and school administrators through advocacy, sensitisation, and reorientation programmes.

“The Command, therefore, urges parents, guardians, and school authorities to take greater responsibility in the moral upbringing and supervision of their children and wards, while advising students to shun violence and report grievances through appropriate channels.

“While appealing to members of the public to remain calm, the command assures that proactive steps were being taken to ensure that justice is not only served but that measures are also emplaced to prevent a reoccurrence.”

The command stated that it remained committed to maintaining law and order and safeguarding all residents, especially children.

JomogNews reported that the Edo State Ministry of Education, through the permanent secretary, Edith Ebomoyi, condemned the violent act.

Ebomoyi, in a statement, said such behaviour was completely unacceptable and ran contrary to the values of discipline, respect, and safety, which all educational institutions in Edo State were expected to uphold.

The school also expelled the students involved and assured that such acts would not happen again.

Education

LASG SHUTS ILLEGAL NURSING COLLEGE IN IKORODU

Published

5 months ago

November 8, 2025

Editor

Lagos State government has sealed Tower College of Health Sciences in Gberigbe, Ikorodu, for operating an illegal nursing program.

A joint enforcement team on Thursday, comprising officials of the Lagos State Ministry of Health through the Directorate of Nursing Services (DNS), the Nursing and Midwifery Committee of Lagos State, and the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwife (NANNM), Lagos State branch, with men of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), stormed the school premises to enforce the closure.

During the operation, the Director of the college, Femi Ajekigbe was arrested and has been taken into custody for questioning and further legal action by the State.

Speaking to journalists after the closure, Mrs Sola Aketi, the Director of Nursing Services, Lagos State Ministry of Health noted that the institution had been notified of the imminent closure after an inspection team from the Nursing and Midwifery Committee of the state had earlier visited the institution in January 20, 2025, to assess its compliance with standards but several irregularities were uncovered.

According to her, the team led by Dr. Oladapo Olawale, alongside Nurse Ilawole, Comrade Ayobami Amusan and Comrade Idowu Osuntuyi reported that Tower College of Health Sciences failed to meet basic academic and infrastructural requirements for nursing education and consequently lacked accreditation from the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, NMCN.

She confirmed that Tower College is just one of many unaccredited institutions operating in Lagos and vowed to extend the clampdown to other illegal nursing schools as the State will no longer condone such dangerous death traps.

Aketi said, “As a result of this closure, the illegal institution will cease all nursing training and educational activities with immediate effect.

“We have several of these schools across the state, and we will not stop until they are all shut down.

“Any further operation of the college is be considered unauthorized and dangerous to the people of Ikorodu and Lagos in general,” she added.

She warned that activities of these unapproved health institutions are dangerous and inimical to the well-being of any society and weaken the state healthcare delivery system.

Dr. Olawale Oladapo, who led the team in January 20, 2025 had advised the Association and the state government that the school lacked basic requirements needed for accreditation and so included in his report the immediate closure of the illegal school for the safety of the people.

In his report, he observed that, “the school had no demonstration room, no hospital affiliation for clinical postings, and no hostel accommodation for students who shockingly were already in their 300 level without undergoing any clinical training and resource verification from the nursing council.

“The inspection committee, however, recommended the immediate closure of the school, withdrawal of all students, and also the licenses of individuals parading themselves as nursing tutors without approval,” Oladapo noted.

Following the report, the Nursing and Midwifery Committee of the State and the Lagos State Ministry of Health issued a formal closure notice dated 20th February 2025, signed by Dr. Olawale Oladapo, Secretary of the Committee.

The letter stated that the decision to close the institution was due to failure to meet the minimum standards for accreditation as outlined in NMCN regulations, non-compliance with repeated warnings to correct identified deficiencies and evidence of substandard training and education, posing risks to the health, safety, and wellbeing of students and the public.

The premises have since been sealed and placed under surveillance to prevent any further unauthorized operation of the college as contrary action will be considered unauthorized and may result in legal action.

Education

Student Loan Application Hits One Million – NELFUND

Published

5 months ago

November 2, 2025

Editor

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) on Sunday said that the student loan scheme has crossed one million applications on its official portal.

The organisation noted that this marked one of the biggest uptake levels for a government-backed social scheme since the start of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

NELFUND, in a statement by the Director, Strategic Communications, Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, stated that the milestone comes barely one year after the programme’s launch on 24 May 2024, describing it as proof that the student loan initiative is gaining strong national traction and public trust.

It said that over ₦116bn has so far been disbursed to students across universities, polytechnics and colleges of education in Nigeria, covering institutional charges and upkeep allowances.

The Managing Director of NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyerr, said the development reflected the impact of the President Tinubu Renewed Hope policy drive on access to higher education.

The statement explained: “Crossing the one-million mark represents more than data; it represents renewed hope for a generation of Nigerians determined to rise above financial barriers to education.

“It is a testament to visionary leadership, sound policy design, and the collective efforts of all stakeholders driving this transformative agenda.”

NELFUND reiterated that it is committed to continuous process improvement to make sure “every qualified Nigerian student, regardless of background or location, can access education funding with transparency, efficiency, and dignity.”

The agency described the programme as non-discriminatory — saying it benefits Nigerians across religions and ethnic backgrounds — and is helping to unify national aspirations through equal learning opportunities.

It said it remains focused on ensuring “no Nigerian is denied the opportunity to learn, grow or contribute to national progress because of financial limitations.”