Under-18 WASSCE ban: FG considers exemption of gifted children

The Federal Government is reportedly considering exempting exceptionally intelligent students who are below the age of 18 from the ban on underage individuals taking the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and National Examination Council (NECO).

During an inspection of the Federal Government Academy, Suleja, also known as the National School for the Gifted, on Thursday, Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, hinted at the possibility of this exemption.

He was accompanied on the inspection visit by the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Tanko Sununu.

The directive by Mamman for the examination bodies not to allow underage candidates sit for secondary school leaving examinations has continued to generate mixed reactions from stakeholders.

But the Minister while giving an indication of the possibility of allowing gifted children to sit for the final year examinations, said a guideline would be provided by the ministry.

Responding to a question if the 18 age limit would apply to a school that raises very intelligent students, the minister said, “It may not and we are going to develop a criteria to guide what we will call Gifted children.”

Meanwhile, the Minister who briefed newsmen after the tour, announced the extension of the resumption date for students of Federal Government Academy, Suleja by two weeks because of the ongoing renovations in the school, as he insists students would not be allowed to resume to an environment that was unconducive for learning.

Instead of resuming with other Federal government colleges on Sunday, the 8th of September, students may now resume on the 18th barring any unforeseen circumstances.

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He said: “We cannot have this young children here when there is work ongoing. The plumbing facility, showers, water and everything are a bit unstructured because of the ongoing work so the facility needs to be ready.

“We have granted 10 days which is the embodiment of two weeks. They will make up somehow.”

Worried over the current state of the school, the minister pledges the commitment of the government to provide the needed support to help upgrade the school to what it should be.

“This is the only school of its kind in the country where we are supposed to assemble students who demonstrate special attitude and capacity to come here for special training.

“For us, we need to showcase the school and for us to do that, we need to see that the necessary supportive infrastructure is there, that the academic environment is suitable for that purpose.

“Maintenance has been a problem. What we have seen doesn’t really answer our expectations of the type of school that it should be. They have achieved some mileage but that is not the destination we are looking at.

“The principal has done her bit within the limited resources available to her and it’s probably one of the few places where students are supposed to be here free and not pay anything unlike some other places where they pay small charges here and there.

“We are going to come in with a very massive support to elevate and bring the place to the standard that it’s supposed to be.

“What we have seen is a general decay across schools in the country. It is worst in many places at the lower tier of government but we have to act our act to make sure that schools are environment where students want to be, where they can learn and socialise and not a place they want to come and go back home quickly.”

“Pleased with the newly structured skills acquisition centre, the minister noted that it was the new direction for education in Nigeria from the foundation level to senior secondary schools to help Nigerians develop skills they could explore, make their lives more meaningful.

“Skill the system right from the foundation level to senior secondary school so that those who finish from there can have some skills and trade to engage themselves without necessarily being stranded out there after they have finished secondary school, and people can even determine their career pathway from here with what the skills set we have being developed in this place.”

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE