Underaged admission: Ogbomoso/Osogbo concerned parents beg Tinubu, wife to stop Oloyede on 'deadly policy'

Underaged admission: Ogbomoso/Osogbo concerned parents beg Tinubu, wife to stop Oloyede on ‘deadly policy’

Yinka ADETUNJI

Concerned parents in Ogbomoso and Osogbo have appealed to President Bola Tinubu and his wife Senator Oluremi Tinubu to intervene in the festering issue of barring children below 16 years of age from seeking admission to institutions of higher learning in Nigeria, urging the first couple in the country to stop the Registrar of JAMB, Prof Isiaq Oloyede from implementing the law on underaged admission, which they described as insensitive and “deadly.”

The ad-hoc group noted allowing the law to come into effect at this point in time is operationally wrong and ill-timed averring rather that it should be checked at the point of admission into primary schools.

They opined at that time the children are not emotionally alert but that a child who had successfully navigated primary and secondary schools education and suddenly told he or she could not proceed to a university even though the child had obtained the prerequisite conditions will inflict him or her with trauma.

They pleaded children who would be 16 years by the ”end of the 2025/2026 academic year” should be considered for admission, while noting there was no record of psychological instability evident in students below 16 admitted in the past.

Titled, “The wrong timing of policy of underaged and it’s emotional trauma on innocent Nigerian teenagers: A call for urgent intervention by The President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR and the No. 1 mother in Nigeria, the wife of the President, Remi Tinubu,” the piece signed on behalf of the group by Professor Atiba Adeniran Samuel, reads in full: “Concerned parents based in Osogbo/Ogbomoso and its environment are calling on His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the number one mother of Nigerian children, Her Excellency, Remi Tinubu, to call Prof Isiaq Oloyede, the Registrar of JAMB and the Honorable Minister of Education to extend admission to those that will be 16 years by the end of 2025/2026 academic session (September 30th 2026), which this 2025 JAMB result is meant to serve.

While we are not against the policy of 16 years admission age limit but it shouldn’t start at this intermediate level. We appeal it starts from where it went wrong in the first instance, that is entry age to primary school. We expect enforcement at this level. A child of 4 years who is prevented to be admitted into a primary school has no emotional attachment unlike a teenager who has passed all prerequisite examinations to be admitted into higher institutions. This is the emotional challenge we are facing at homes with our children.

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On our enquiries, it was gathered that our kids signed undertaking only to be allowed to write the examination without using same for admission. We wonder what kind of undertaking was signed without their parents?

It is also said that a child who is to turn 16 by next year September is psychologically unstable. Can JAMB know our children more than us? Besides, has Nigerian Universities recorded any unwanted or unexpected behaviors from those that were admitted “underaged” in the past? We strongly believe that enforcement of policy should be based on occurrences of some unpalatable experiences from these “underaged” in the time past.

JAMB also gave an explanation that a meeting of Vice Chancellors across the country were called to enforce this “teenagers unfriendly policy” and the majority of them agreed. Why won’t they agree when the Minister called his appointees to agree on an issue, what do we expect! Besides, majority of them don’t have children seeking admission any longer. We charge JAMB and Ministry of Education to call meetings of younger Vice Chancellors and that of Private Universities. Their side to this deadly policy will be different. The majority will advise otherwise.

We appeal to our dear President and the mother of these children, Her Excellency, Senator Remi Tinubu, to urgently intervene as many schools are closing up on admission for 2025/2026 academic session.

Our single prayer is children that will be 16 years before the end of 2025/2026 (September 30th, 2026) session be allowed to seek admission into any institution in Nigeria. This ground was shifted last year. We also encourage JAMB and Minister for Education to go back to drawing board to restrategise in enforcing this age policy from primary school education.”