During his inaugural briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, alongside the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Suwaiba Ahmad, and Permanent Secretary, Dr. Nasiru Sani-Gwarzo, Alausa made this announcement.
This decision reverses the previous stance taken by former Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, who had set the admission age at 18 years.
Prof. Mamman introduced this change during the 2024 Policy Meeting on admissions organized by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), a move that faced significant opposition from stakeholders, including Vice-Chancellors, Rectors, Provosts, and other leaders of tertiary institutions.
In response to the backlash, the former Minister decided to postpone the implementation of the 18-year age limit for the 2024 admissions, stating that it would instead take effect in 2025.
Alausa explained that the initial decision was influenced by the structure of the National Policy on Education, emphasizing that the 18-year requirement is no longer part of their policy.
Additionally, the Minister confirmed that the prohibition on certificates obtained from Benin Republic and Togo will remain in effect to combat the issue of fraudulent certificates within the education system.
He said: “We will not be going forward with the 18-year admission benchmark. We will go with 16 years and we are going to meet with JAMB and others on that.
“There will also be exceptions for the gifted students. 18-year is not part of our policy again.”
He added: “Part of special needs are highly talented and gifted students. We need to create opportunities for them. We have to let them excel. These are geniuses in our society. They are the Innovators of what we need. They are genetically endowed to move our general society.”
Addressing the issue of out-of-school children, he emphasized that it is a top priority for the ministry, indicating that multiple strategies will be explored to decrease their numbers.
He stated that the ministry plans to work in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction to implement conditional cash transfers as incentives aimed at boosting student enrollment.
Additionally, he highlighted the introduction of nutritional programs designed to promote students' health, which will contribute to the advancement of human capital development.