By Tunde Olofintila
The last may not have been heard on the contentious issue of the age a prospective candidate can be admitted into any of Nigeria’s 264 private, state or federal universities.
Before now, an aspiring candidate to any of the 264 universities would be admitted if he/she had the requisite WAEC/NECO papers and after scaling post-UTME introduced in 2003 by the Committee of Pro Chancellors under the chairmanship of the frontline legal icon, Aare Afe Babalola (SAN).
However, on April 22, Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the agency that qualifies eligible students for admission into tertiary institutions through its yearly Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME), pegged the minimum age of entry into Nigerian universities at 18. By this directive, a child is expected to commence Primary School at six, enter Secondary School at 12 and enter university at 18 years. This rule allows for no exception.
Since then, there has been a debate for and against this directive by stakeholders, including parents and heads of tertiary institutions.
That brings us to renown Juju maestro, Chief Anthony Adegeye, popularly known as King Sunny Ade, in one of his 1970s albums that Agba ki i wa l’oja k’ori omo tuntun k’o wo, which translates roughly: “An elder should not be unconcerned when things are going awry”.
It must have been this time-tested Yoruba aphorism that propelled the elder statesman and founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), to have gone all-out in defence of the extant position that age should not be a barrier to exceptionally gifted students from gaining admission to a Nigerian university the moment he/she has scaled passed WAEC/NECO and post-UTME. In specific terms, every university is entitled to exercise its discretion in this regard.
Miffed by this development, Babalola wondered why the education of a child, who had passed all pre-qualification requirements for admission into tertiary institutions, should be truncated on the altar of age. He added: “This should not be so because age is not maturity”.
In a parley with reporters, Babalola emphasised the need for Nigerian universities to be allowed to exercise their discretion in admitting students for various programmes as is the practice in the West, rather than being subjected to government directives.
Asserting that age has nothing to do with a nation’s growth and development, the elder statesman cautioned the government against implementing policies that could hinder progress and aspirations of young citizens, who could provide solutions to our challenges.
His words: “It is the duty of each university to exercise its discretion in matters of admission. You can’t take that discretion away from them. In my view, the issue of age is a matter of discretion for the university and let me say that we have been practising this here”.
He recalled how ABUAD had admitted students, between 14 and 16 years and how many of such students passed out with First Class and Second-Class Upper Division. In fact, some of them have obtained their Doctorate from universities around the world.
To drive his point home, he recalled Elaine Aaron, the American psychologist and author of the international bestseller – Highly Sensitive Person, who said: “What could we need more right now than people who think carefully, feel deeply, notice subtle details, and end up having the big picture?” These qualities are essential to nation building. Age is not one of them, neither is it a requirement to obtaining any of them”.
He added: “Maturity is not a function of age. Rather, it is a function of the mindset, emotional intelligence and ability to understand oneself and the world. Maturity is earned from training the mind, not from aging. Consequently, we have adults who are all but matured in the way they think, act, or relate with others and the world they live in.
“Conversely, we have children who defied all odds and achieved even the impossible. I have compiled a short list of people I consider to be Young Achievers hereunder. This is because they knew the value of mind enrichment at a young age and pursued it”.
Naming many gifted children like Soborno Isaac Bari, Yasha Asley, Alias Sabur, Colin Maclaurin, Charles Hormer Haskins, among others in Europe, America and Asia who earned their PhDs and/or were appointed professors between ages 11 and 22, Babalola said he was not surprised that no Nigerian was named among these global young achievers.
A man known for his definite distinction of not leaving any stone unturned, the former UNILAG pro-chancellor attributed this to Nigeria’s strategic policies that suspend the laudable achievements of brilliant young minds till later ages in Nigeria as confirmed by the following examples:
•Ekele Franklin: While his mates in the West and Middle East were pursuing either Master’s or Doctoral degrees, Ekele Franklin, Overall Best candidate in 2020 UTME with 347, was denied admission into tertiary institutions in Nigeria because he was 15 years!
•David Okorogheye, who had 332 in UTME in 2021 was denied admission because he was not 16!
•Tochukwu Nwafor, who completed his secondary education at 14, was also precluded from going into university because of his age!
•Oyende Faith: Faith was Best Graduating student in Department of Biochemistry of Lagos State University in 2021. She told the press she wanted to become a medical doctor but was denied admission twice because of her age!
•Orisheneye Okorogheye had A1 in all subjects in WAEC and dreamt of becoming a Neurosurgeon. He was denied admission into tertiary institution in Nigeria because he was 15 years old!
In Babalola’s opinion, “the only factor that separates the young achievers earlier mentioned and these brilliant teenagers is that the young achievers were birthed into societies which understood, appreciated and are willing to nurture their gifts. Their societies were willing to make exceptions to accommodate their giftings. That is where Nigeria falters as a nation”.
He added: “Having a minimum age of admission into tertiary institution rule without exception is a problematic position that will in the long run affect the dreams of the younger generations.
“In developed nations, there is a minimum age qualification requirement. In United Kingdom, it is 18 years. In Australia, it is 17 years. When there are age limits, government allows each university to exercise its discretion, otherwise outstanding students would not have been what they are today and at a tender age”.
A man known to balance things out, Babalola added: “However, this rule is not strict. In UK for example, the university reserves the right to waive the minimum admission age requirement on an individual basis upon fulfilment of certain conditions. In Australia, the Academic Board of the school may grant a candidate, who is not 17 years, an exemption depending on his or her performance in the qualifying examinations.
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“In some other countries as Norway, there is no specific age limit for admission into tertiary institutions once the candidate meets the academic entry requirements.
“Also, in South Korea, there is no age requirement in the admission criteria into tertiary institutions. All the candidate needs is to meet all academic entry requirements.
“Age is not maturity. Children are demonstrating exceptional academic intelligence, which is not common in their ages. No child deserves to have his or her dreams impugned upon by age alone.
“University autonomy includes among other things discretion to waive the minimum age requirements for students who pass the minimum admission requirements and possess exceptional academic potential. This is as obtainable in UK, Australia, Norway and South Korea. It should not be within the competence of the Federal Government to direct that students of certain ages are disqualified from entering tertiary institutions after they had met all other admission requirements”.
Coming nearer home, Babalola recalled that Victor Olunloyo took his Higher Secondary Examination (HSE) at the age of 13. Firstly, he registered for the examination at an age way younger than his peers. Secondly, he took the exams only after three months of registering, what ought to have taken him two years. He passed his paper at one sitting. He thereafter took his GCE Advanced Level and passed it also at a sitting. By implication, he was qualified to enter university at 13. Sadly, there was no university in Nigeria at the time. He had to travel abroad for his BSc, Master’s and PhD. He became commissioner for Economic Development in Western Region in 1962 at 27, and later became governor of Oyo State in 1983 at 48.
Imagine if there had been a rule that delayed his progress at that time, I doubt he would have achieved all he achieved. It is this limitation that we are sadly imposing on the younger generation.
Babalola noted ABUAD and other universities have admitted super brilliant young stars who have beaten Olunloyo’s record.
Babalola suggested we should not forge with our hands the chain that will hamper gifted children. The minimum age requirement should also give universities discretion to admit children below 16 endowed with exceptional ability.
Government cannot shift the post after the game has started. The time has come for policy makers to remember a man’s life ticks away like hands of the clock, yet not many appreciate that every minute gone is irretrievable. We must appreciate that time is life and life is time. Time is the greatest enemy of man. Time does not wait for anyone. Lost time is irretrievable.
•Olofintila, ABUAD’s Corporate Affairs director, writes from Ado-Ekiti