The Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund has voiced its support for the proposed 18 years minimum entry age for admission into universities.
During the monitoring of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), in Abuja on Tuesday, Sen. Ganduse Mohammed, the committee’s chairman, expressed his backing for the policy. He emphasised the need for age limits in various sectors, stating, “For most of the educational system and recruitment into the military, there is an age limit, adding that the senate will support any amendments to relevant laws to reflect the policy.”
Sen. Ganduse also commended the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for the smooth conduct of the UTME exercise and acknowledged the need for addressing the challenges facing the educational system in Nigeria.
Sen. Karimi Sunday, a member of the committee, emphasized the importance of access to education, stating, “Your age, say you are 40, 50, 60 doesn’t mean you cannot enter the university, it’s not a barrier but there is also a minimum age limit.”
He also noted that the committee is open to amending existing laws to strengthen the age limit requirement for university admission.
Also, candidates who participated in the UTME expressed satisfaction with the seamless and hitch-free process, with one candidate, Chinyere, stating, “I was scared of the examination earlier but when I got into the hall I summoned courage and it went on easy and there were no technical hitches, so I finished answering all my questions.”
