Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, appears dead serious about limiting the age of school leavers and tertiary institution admission seekers. Within his roughly one year in office, he has harped on this issue at least twice and announced his intention to see that the policy takes effect from next academic session.

According to the minister, a person must be at least 18 years before being allowed to sit for the West African Senior School Certificate exam. In his view, the practice of admitting children as young as 15 into universities is inimical, as many of them do not understand the university setting which is for adults and matured minds.

Those who sympathise with Mamman’s perspective also posit that the policy will protect children from the laissez-faire culture of universities.

However, opponents of this policy argue that it does not take into account the realities of our digital revolution when younger minds are able to grasp educational models that are suitable for this age. Besides, many of the private universities, especially those founded by faith-based interest groups, have created semi-controlled tertiary education models that chaperon these younger elements seamlessly into adulthood.

Between the epoch that Mamman’s generation went to school and today, education has drastically evolved, and many of the classical approaches to learning are no longer relevant. We must study these changes critically and adjust accordingly. We are moving into a future where buildings, offices and large workforces will be overtaken by artificial intelligence and those who are versed in the handling of internet-enabled devices from anywhere.

In many parts of the Western world, people are no longer enamoured with spending years in the university when they can obtain certified knowledge from the worldwide web at very minimal costs and from the comfort of their homes.

China, for instance, has evolved a system of training children on practical trades from kindergarten levels. They have turned the same thing the West calls “child labour” to the advantage of the children and the society at large.

This is the type of innovative thinking we need from our policy makers, not forcing children to the tyranny of age limitations. People are even reading ulterior political motives into the zeal with which Mamman is pursuing this policy with, as it is suspended this will arrest the educational advancement of some sections of the country.

We strongly oppose forcing school leavers to stay at home for two or three years before furthering their education. It is backward, wasteful and counterproductive.