Education
…says the education system Is stuck in the 17th century
THE Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria has launched a blistering attack on the Federal Government over its decision to retain 16 years as the minimum age for admission into tertiary institutions, describing the policy as “primitive, discriminatory and intellectually bankrupt.”
In a strongly worded statement issued on Monday, the group said the policy exposes what it called the Federal Government’s “outdated and anti-progressive mentality” towards education, insisting that modern societies no longer judge academic readiness by biological age but by merit, competence, talent and intellectual capacity.
Reacting to the announcement made by Tunji Alausa during the 2026 Policy Meeting on Admissions to Tertiary Institutions in Abuja, HURIWA said Nigeria appears trapped in “an archaic educational philosophy reminiscent of the colonial era.”
The group’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, said it was shocking that while advanced nations are nurturing child prodigies and accelerating gifted students into world-class innovation hubs, Nigeria is still obsessed with rigid age barriers rooted in outdated traditions.
“Holding on to a fixed age benchmark for university admission in the 21st century is both irrational and counterproductive,” the statement read.
“HURIWA finds it disturbing that Nigeria still operates a mindset similar to the olden days when children were considered mature enough for school only if one hand could touch the opposite ear across the face. This embarrassing and primitive mentality has no place in a competitive global knowledge economy.”
The rights group argued that many gifted children across the world begin advanced academic programmes, scientific research and even doctoral studies long before the age of 16, stressing that genius cannot and should never be regulated by bureaucracy.
According to HURIWA, the policy punishes brilliance, discourages exceptional talents and undermines innovation at a time when countries are racing to dominate global technology, artificial intelligence, medicine and scientific research.
The organisation accused the Federal Government of focusing on “cosmetic educational policies” instead of confronting the real crisis destroying Nigeria’s tertiary education sector.
“HURIWA strongly believes that the government is chasing shadows while the nation’s universities are collapsing under the weight of chronic underfunding, deteriorating infrastructure, shortage of qualified lecturers and obsolete learning facilities,” Onwubiko stated.
The association further lamented what it described as the reckless proliferation of universities without adequate manpower, facilities or sustainable academic frameworks.
According to the group, many tertiary institutions now operate like “oversized secondary schools” because they lack modern laboratories, research centres, digital learning infrastructure and sufficient professors to maintain quality education.
HURIWA warned that Nigeria risks producing graduates who are globally uncompetitive if authorities continue to prioritise age restrictions over educational excellence and innovation.
The group also faulted the Federal Government’s claim that the policy was designed to protect academic standards and maturity, insisting that maturity is not solely determined by age.
“It is intellectually dishonest for the government to assume that every 16-year-old is academically mature while every brilliant 13 or 14-year-old is automatically unprepared for higher learning,” the statement added.
The organisation therefore called on the Federal Government to immediately reverse the policy and replace it with a flexible, merit-driven framework that accommodates exceptionally gifted students under transparent academic assessment procedures.
HURIWA also urged the government to redirect its energy toward revamping public universities, improving lecturer welfare, strengthening research funding and upgrading educational infrastructure across the country.
The group maintained that Nigeria cannot build a globally competitive education system through “rigid, outdated and anti-innovation policies,” warning that the country’s future depends on rewarding intelligence, creativity and academic excellence rather than suppressing them through bureaucracy.
A.I
May 18, 2026
Tags: Emmanuel NNADOZIE Onwubiko HURIWA Tunji Alausa
