Kenneth Okonkwo, a well-known actor and former chieftain of the Labour Party (LP), has expressed his displeasure with the recent decision by President Bola Tinubu’s government to impose an age restriction on students taking secondary school leaving exams.
The federal government announced that students under the age of 18 will no longer be permitted to take key exams, such as the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) organized by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) administered by the National Examinations Council (NECO). The new policy was revealed by the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, during a TV interview on Sunday. According to Mamman, the government has instructed both WAEC and NECO to enforce this rule.
Additionally, Mamman reiterated that the age limit for candidates wishing to take the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), remains at 18 years.
Kenneth Okonkwo responded to the policy on Thursday, describing it as “unfortunate” and “undesirable.” He argued that the new rule could negatively impact young and talented students who are ready for these examinations but are not yet 18. He emphasized that setting such an age limit could limit opportunities for students who excel academically at a young age.
“Prof Tahir Mamman, the Minister of Education’s statement that students must attain the age of 18 years before writing neco and jamb, is unfortunate and undesirable.
“This policy is personal to me because I completed my secondary school education at the age of 15 years plus and made excellent grades. The policy of jamb then was that every student must attain the age of 16 years before writing jamb. I had to voluntarily stay at home for a year to write jamb. The little little vices I picked up in my life as a teenager were when I stayed at home for a year. You can imagine if I had stayed at home for three years.
“Children start nursery classes at 2 years and take 3 years to complete them. This makes them start primary one at age 5 and finish at age 10. They get into secondary school at age 10 and finish at age 16 and should be allowed to get into university at age 16. I finished at age 15 because secondary education was for 5 years during our time.
“Keeping children idle for two years is making them susceptible to crimes and other antisocial behaviour as an idle mind is a devil’s workshop.
“The Minister should immediately revert to the 16-year benchmark for entering the university, not 18.
“It’s unfortunate that our old men in political positions want to entrench gerontocracy in our system and are already trying to enforce it on our children. Must this government get everything wrong?” Okonkwo wrote via his X account.
Okonkwo’s criticism reflects the concerns of many parents and educators in Nigeria, who believe that students should be assessed based on their abilities and preparedness rather than age. The debate continues as the government maintains that the new rule aims to ensure that students are mature enough to handle the pressures of these examinations.
