The cruel 18-year varsity admission policy

From next year, students seeking University admission in Nigeria need to be 18 years old, the Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman insists. This is against agelong custom. Before this decision, for instance, Obafemi Awolowo University, one of the best in Africa, had no age limit, a decision that had helped the University to unlock talents buried in young people. I recall a student entered the Lagos State University, LASU at 12. This new policy is very disruptive, sudden and extreme. It must be challenged by all lovers of education and human freedom.

As at 2022, there were 27,000 secondary schools in Nigeria. This means this policy will negatively affect the future plans of these children and their parents at least for between two to five years. The greatest losers here is Southern Nigeria where 70 percent of the secondary schools, public and private are located. The decision is one of the faultlines of Nigerian garrison state.

In the first republic where there was regional autonomy, this kind of policy was impossible. The Universities were under each region and each had its own policy. The National Universities Commission which now turns itself into the Headmaster of Nigerian Universities was a mere advisory department and had not such power it now wields over the entire country. The Military came and imposed fascists structures that stifled regional autonomy which continues to muzzle the country’s University independence.

The policy is certain to ruin the future of millions of 15, 16, 17 year olds who would be compelled to stay back at home, or those that will be forced to repeat classes in order to delay their future plans in a country where policies are largely ill-informed, tyrannical and designed without robust input from end users. The policy came as a statement by the Minister without consultation with the stakeholders not even with the country’s best psychologists, educationists or even the National Assembly. The policy was not informed by any research, summit or academic findings driven by the subjective conditions in Nigeria. Local, national and educational policy makers including the Senate of Universities, Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities,(ASUU) were denied input. This is another evidence of policy makers thinking they can run the country on impulse or based on the hegemony of the parochial interests they represent. This policy will only favour Nigerian elite who would send their 15 and 16-year old abroad. It will also encourage corruption. Many parents will alter the age of their wards. The Minister should never assume he has the monopoly of wisdom on this critical issue. Many, including Professors have supported the proposal. It has also come under harsh criticisms even as the Minister remains neck-stiff. Supporters, in my view are driven by a variety of reasons, some parochial, some ethnic, some primordial and some motivate by ignorance. Disgusting is the attempt by some intellectuals to drive home their points in support, citing fraudulent and incoherent references. With due respect to the Minister, this decision is retrogressive for profound reasons. It has no sound, empirical and logical premises. In the first place, the argument that at less than 18, students are not mature is puerile and false if maturity needed is to learn new ideas.

In Nigeria, children at 15 or even 14 are given out as wives and become mothers at 16. Some are employed as manual workers at 16.Some join violent cults as 15. At 14, children are made to trek for over 500 kms as nomads, enduring the social, psychological strain that even many adults cannot venture. What kind of maturity are they talking about? It’s a big shame.

The root responsibility of Education is training of the mind. The curriculum of Education is partly to help students’ quality of mind. What the teachers impact is important in education of children achieved through the quality of knowledge and skill impacted.
Maturity is a process that requires significant role of the State through its well-articulated Education curriculum. In the old Western Region, pupils from primary and secondary schools were exposed to a string of curriculum that moulds them into a mature being even at 16. This included leadership, moral and technical education. In my days in secondary school, there were a range of activities that set the 15 or 16 year old on the path of adulthood, independence of mind, maturity, confidence building, courage including the art of public speaking. I left secondary school below 17. 60 percent in my set of about 200 were less than 18 in our last year but were mature enough to receive University education.

In my days, students had portions of farms which they had to maintain on their own, portions of lawn they needed to maintain and sustain, a chain of sports and games; variety debates on Saturdays, sports and games which began from 4pm after the compulsory siester(afternoon snap). The school curriculum from primary to the last year in secondary school was designed to develop the mind, conditioned enough to gain University knowledge. Also, the first year in the Universities were designed to broaden every pupil through the various courses introduced in the first and second years. The Minister gives the wrong impression that education has nothing to do with maturity when in reality knowledge and training, through Education, are critical to the formation of the child’s cognitive reasoning.

Contrary to some assumptions, while studies in psychology suggests the cognitive status of people in their teens, there is no globally acceptable science-based research that concludes that a 16- year old cannot be admitted into the University.

Psychologists suggest that at 16 for instance, children show ‘more independence and less conflict with their parents’, and also start making ‘decisions with their independent mind.’ Psychologists argue that at 16, children ‘begin to think in abstract ways. They can deal with several concepts at the same time and imagine the future consequences of their actions.’

At 16, they already develop the reflex for ‘more complex problems’ and have developed the capacity to ‘develop and text theories’ while fully prepared to receive moral, social and philosophical concepts or philosophies.
Stanley Hall said that ‘Adolescence is when the very worst and best impulses in the human soul struggle against each other for possession’ which supports the argument that at 16, the mind of the child is vulnerable and could be manipulated if not explored for knowledge and skill. Let us take a few examples from across the world. In Germany, there is no age restriction to study in the University. Germany is the greatest economy in Europe. Teenagers as old as 17 are even permitted to work in bakeries in Germany. The level of freedom is such that at 17, a child is permitted to drink wine and beer even in absence of their parents though I disagree with this aspect.

In UK, students below 18 are admitted into the University provided they have acknowledgement from their parents or Guardians. In UK, there are many University students that are 16 or 17. I cite striking examples of teens that have graduated at tender ages almost in every country across the world.

Yasha Asley was just 12 years as an undergraduate, with some 3,500 graduates at Leicester becoming the youngest graduate in the University’s history. He had Phd at 21. In the US, Micheal Kearney, at 14 became the youngest undergraduate at Middle Tennessee State University.

In China, Zhang Xinyang embarked on Masters Degree in Beijing. He started University at 10 and pursued PHD in Applied Mathematics at 16. Close home, Musawenkosi Donia Saurombe of South Africa emerged as the youngest Phd holder in South Africa with a Doctor of Philosophy in Industrial Psychology from North West University. Sawsan Ahmed was 12 when he graduated from the 61 year old Broward College in Florida. In Brazil, a 17 year old can start University Education. In Sweden and Australia, University education begins at 16. Also in South Africa, Hjalmar Rall graduated from the University of Pretoria with cum laude bagging Bsc in Physics at 14 after attending Riebeek Kasteel, Western Cape.

Over history, we have seen teens ruled great Kingdoms with huge success. All they needed were good guardians. In Egypt, Ranses reigned at 25.At 14, he was appointed Prince regent by his father Seti.He ruled for 66 years. In the same Egypt, King Tutankhamen was 9 years when he reigned as youngest King in the 14th century.Tut was only 9 when he emerged as Pharaoh having ruled the country at a time of great turmoil. Le us not dim the future of our children. As stated by Hall, ‘Life is a stream flowing from high mountain ranges which wring it from the clouds, coursing down through all the manifold ways in which the water comes down at Ladore to the sea of eternity. Adolescence is the chief rapids in this river of life which may cut a deep canyon and leave its shores a desert.’ The mission of education is to turn an empty mind into an open one.