On July 18, 2024, Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, announced the imposition of minimum age for university admission, a declaration that mandates citizens to be at least 18 years of age before seeking admission into higher learning institutions.
The Nigerian government’s decision to impose a minimum age for university admissions risks excluding academically exceptional students under 18 from accessing higher education. This age limit infringes on citizens’ rights to education due to an arbitrary age benchmark.
A better approach is to introduce a flexible admission system that evaluates students based on academic merit and psychological readiness and offers tailored support for younger, gifted students through tiered qualifications, early entry programs, and multiple admission tracks.
While maturity is important, this age restriction introduces unnecessary barriers, setting Nigeria back from other African nations that are moving towards more flexible educational systems.
Countries like Mauritius and Algeria have policies allowing younger students to enroll in university early if they demonstrate exceptional academic abilities. Nigeria’s age restriction ignores individual differences and assumes that all students mature intellectually at the same rate, which is untrue. Cognitive and emotional development varies significantly; a one-size-fits-all policy undermines this diversity.
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The right to education is recognised as a fundamental human right. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to which Nigeria is a signatory, states that “everyone has the right to education.”
This declaration means that education should be accessible to everyone without discrimination based on age. To honour this declaration, Nigeria should adopt a more flexible and inclusive admission policy that considers academic capability and readiness rather than age through a flexible admission structure.
Some proposals
To implement this solution, the Federal Ministry of Education should establish a tiered qualification system in collaboration with the National Universities Commission (NUC). This system should assess students using a variety of factors, such as their academic performance, emotional maturity, and readiness for higher education.
Instead of relying on just one exam, like the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), it could include standardised tests like the American College Testing or Scholastic Aptitude Testing for college admissions, the Law School Admission Test for law school, and the Medical College Admission Test for medical school that measure both academic skills and personal development.
Schools should team up with trained psychologists to create tools that check how ready students are, both intellectually and emotionally, for the challenges of university life. This way, the process is more about the student’s overall ability to handle university, not just their grades or one-off tests.
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The evaluation framework should be introduced in the final year of secondary school, where students can undergo assessments that measure both academic performance and emotional readiness.
Schools, in collaboration with psychologists, can conduct these evaluations alongside existing exams like the WAEC or NECO to identify students who show the maturity and capability to handle university-level work.
This process could be managed by state or local education authorities, ensuring that the assessments are accessible and fair for all students. Results from these evaluations can help pinpoint those eligible for early university admission, ensuring a smooth and well-supported transition to higher education.
The government should pilot this framework in a few universities in the upcoming academic years. This approach will allow for testing, refining, and addressing potential challenges before scaling it nationwide.
Furthermore, General Studies (GES) courses should be restructured to support diverse learning styles and equip students with practical skills for academic and personal success. The current GES courses should be improved to focus more on practical skills that students can use in their daily lives.
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For instance, critical thinking and problem-solving courses should move away from just theory and include real-life case studies that challenge students while encouraging teamwork and creative solutions.
Teaching methods should also be updated to include more interactive approaches, like group discussions and online tools, to suit different learning styles. These changes will make the courses more useful and help younger students settle into university more easily.
Nigeria’s current university-age policy contradicts international human rights standards and limits the potential of young Nigerian students. The Minister of Education and other policymakers must rethink this age restriction and adopt a more flexible admissions policy based on merit and academic readiness.
Age is not a definitive measure of readiness for university. Instead, academic merit should be the key criterion for admission.
Francis Ikuerowo is a writing fellow at African Liberty, a U.S.-based think tank focused on advancing individual freedom, peace, and prosperity in Africa. He can be reached at ikuerowo9@gmail.com or on X as @francisikuerowo. The opinions expressed here are the writer’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Chanzo. If you are interested in publishing in this space, please contact our editors at editor@thechanzo.com.
