..May peg age for intake into university, others at 18 years
By Editor
The Federal Government has revealed that only 20 per cent of the candidates sitting the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) might be offered admission into universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across the country.
The government is also contemplating a review of the current age requirement for entry into tertiary institutions in the country, which is likely to be pegged at 18 years.
Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman made the disclosures on Monday in Abuja while monitoring the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), alongside the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof Ishaq Oloyede.
More than 1.9 million candidates registered to participate in the examination that commenced on 19th April and is expected to end on 29th April 2024.
Mamman expressed concerns about some parents who exert unnecessary pressure on their children, warning them against pushing the children and wards “too much,” to allow them to attain some level of maturity to be able to better manage their affairs.
There have been concerns about the carrying capacity of the existing public tertiary institutions while private institutions always find it difficult to fill their admission quotas because of high tuition fees.
Mamman, while commenting on the high number of candidates seeking admission into the limited slots available in tertiary institutions, said skills acquisition remains a critical component in preparing the youths for a brighter future.
“It is not a question of being employed but how many will be admitted from this set. I think the figure overall on average is about 20 per cent; universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
“The question you ask is where are the 80 percent? They are our children, our wards living with us. This is why the issue of skills acquisition is terribly important because any student who is not being able to proceed to tertiary education, should be able to have a meaningful life even after secondary school, even primary education actually.
“The only solution to that is skills; by taking skills right from the time they entered school, for the primary right through the educational trajectory. Somebody should finish with one skill or another. That is part of the assumption of the 6-3-3-4.
