The federal government of Nigeria has reaffirmed that there are no age restrictions for students wishing to take the National Examination Council (NECO) and West African Examination Council (WAEC) exams.
The announcement was made by the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Tanko Sununu, during a press conference in Abuja, aimed at dispelling recent misunderstandings surrounding the issue.
Sununu stated, “As regards this matter, we have made ourselves clear in different fora. But the issue kept recurring here and there. Actually, nobody among the two of us, the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, nor the Minister of State, stated anything about the age limit for WAEC, NECO or NABTEB.”
The confusion arose from misinterpretations of statements made by education officials.
The actual policy, as clarified by Sununu, pertains only to the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and university entry, which will require candidates to be at least 18 years old starting from 2025.
Sununu further explained, “People just pick up some remarks the minister made, misinterpreted the statements to imply that age restriction has been placed for WAEC and NECO examinations. What we have been mentioning in the past was the entry age for University, candidates sitting for the UTME. We have made this clear several times, and this is in line with the National Policy on Education.”
The minister highlighted the educational journey outlined in the National Policy on Education, which specifies that a child is expected to begin primary school at age six, spend six years there, followed by six years in secondary school (three years in junior and three years in senior), culminating at the age of 18. This educational timeline aligns with the policy for university entry.
Sununu linked these educational policies to the theme of the upcoming 2024 World Literacy Day, “Promoting Multilingual Education: Literacy for Mutual Understanding and Peace.”
He emphasized the importance of early education in a child’s mother tongue, which the policy suggests should continue until primary three before transitioning to English. This approach, according to him, has significantly facilitated learning at foundational levels.
This clarification serves to reassure students and parents alike that their educational aspirations through NECO and WAEC remain unhindered by age constraints.