The new Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has reversed abolished the 18-year admission benchmark into tertiary institutions in the country.
The immediate past Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, had set 18 years as age limit for candidates seeking admission into tertiary institutions, during the Policy meeting of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board’ (JAMB) policy meeting held in Abuja few months ago.
Mamman’s decision which was greeted by an uproar by tertiary education managers, had sparked arguments from mixed reactions by Nigerians.
However, Alausa while delivering his inaugural ministerial press conference on Tuesday in Abuja, noted that the Nigerian government has set the benchmark of tertiary education admission at 16 years.
Speaking further, the new education minister noted there would be no reversal on the federal government’s decision to void over 22,700 degree certificates obtained by Nigerians in some “fake” universities in neighbouring Togo and Benin Republic.
While hinting on the possibility of his administration to review the nation’s education policy, he said going forward, Nigeria’s education system would be 80 per cent practical and 20 per cent classroom/ theoretical.
According to him, practical education would help to curb the unemployment situation in Nigeria when tertiary institutions stop churning out graduates on a yearly basis without jobs for Nigerians.
Alausa who noted that the federal government would work with private sector operators for the training of students to unleash their potentials, added that universities of agriculture would be empowered to embrace merchandised farming in order to curb food insecurity.
