Federal Government Clarifies Age Limits for National Examinations
Abuja, Nigeria — The Federal Government has clarified that there is no age limit for students taking the National Examinations Council (NECO) and West African Examinations Council (WAEC) exams. This was stated by the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Tanko Sununu, during a World Literacy Day event in Abuja on Friday.
Dr. Sununu emphasized that the age restriction only applies to candidates sitting for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and not for NECO, WAEC, or the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB) exams.
Addressing the confusion surrounding the issue, Dr. Sununu said, “We have made ourselves clear in different forums, but the issue keeps recurring. Neither the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, nor myself have stated anything about an age limit for WAEC, NECO, or NABTEB exams. The remarks made by the Minister were misinterpreted, leading to the false impression that there is an age restriction for these exams.”
The Minister explained that the discussion on age restrictions has been focused on the UTME, in line with the National Policy on Education. This policy outlines that a child is expected to enter primary school at the age of six, complete six years of primary education, followed by three years each in junior and senior secondary school, culminating in the age of 18 before sitting for the UTME.
“This is directly related to the theme of this year’s World Literacy Day,” Dr. Sununu noted. He further explained that the policy also recommends that a child should be taught in their mother tongue or the language of their immediate environment up until Primary 3, after which English is introduced to facilitate better learning.
The clarification aims to dispel any ongoing misconceptions and to reassure students and parents that no age barrier exists for taking NECO, WAEC, or NABTEB examinations.