₦airaland Forum

donleo92:
Abeg help me tell Nigerian parents especially PORTHARCOURT parents way be say, them go even prefer make their pikin be 8 years for JSS1. Then the kids would be struggling because their foundation is faulty, then stressing innocent teachers and putting the blame or teachers and school

And there after, some of them will be influenced by their peers into bad habits and additions. Rumuo-Igbu and Isolu psychiatric hospital don full with under age because of colos. And part of the problem is that parents their assumed that they were mature enough to care of themselves, while they were still teenagers. Adults hardly become addicted to bad habits.

Throwback:
That is right.

Parents should stop this rat race they are using their children for.

Parents are running a rat race with their kids cost of education is crazy

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Observation mode

What I want them to do is to make UTME result valid for 5years.

OctavianAC:
And there after, some of them will be influenced by their peers into bad habits and additions. Rumuo-Igbu and Isolu psychiatric hospital don full with under age because of colos. And part of the problem is that parents their assumed that they were mature enough to care of themselves, while they were still teenagers. Adults hardly become addicted to bad habits.

You took this out of my mouth

10 minimum is fair enough that's the range lot of students enter secondary school in the 90s, range of 10-12

I don't think it's proper for a child not to be at least 10 years as at the September he/she will enter secondary school.

This is the height of academic confusion. I'm just seeing posts and retractions everywhere

fergie001:
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2025/07/fg-disclaims-report-on-minimum-age-requirement-for-jss1-university-admission/?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwLwog9jbGNrAvCfw2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAAEe8SfWyluK2NP-tYobX_mrfN46nd1gNsaSX1gpJAzo4PbcgzOxqUx_tbGEYqc_aem_71MfYEvic_Y5H3TGsg_a5A

9 years should be minimum requirement.
This people setting this age limit don't put their children in public schools but are setting laws that are harmful to Nigerians.

So all gifted children should waste their time at home waiting for 10 years to clock.

Backward mentality. Decadent unproductive policy makers dictating how a child should grow

Lanre1st:
Is inability to read a passage has to do with age? Go north and see 15yrs lady with full grown breasst that can not read a sentence correctly.

I think the most important thing is our education system should not promote any student that does not pass his/her current stage. If age 8 pass common entrance let him go to next stage

In one way or the other, it affects. Imagine a child that skipped up to 3 classes between primary and junior secondary, and landed in SS1 at the age of 11. While it may not be direct, those skipped classes are the reason why such a student is in that class at that age.

donleo92:
Abeg help me tell Nigerian parents especially PORTHARCOURT parents way be say, them go even prefer make their pikin be 8 years for JSS1. Then the kids would be struggling because their foundation is faulty, then stressing innocent teachers and putting the blame or teachers and school

. Something is fundamentally wrong with your thinking. Children who are at the age 8 in Jss 1 are far more brilliant than all of you guys who entered at the age of 18. So do not expect everyone to be dullard the way you expect. failure enthroning more failure as the leader of tomorrow. In developed countries, we have seen meet become PHD holders as early as 14 years, but here, one idiot minister who got his position through corruption and has been dumb is setting an age target for genius children, and his fellow dumb citizens are supporting him and cheering him up.

CoronaVirusPro:
No wrong doing…

PERFECT AGE

Kids can’t be skipping classes in the name of double promotion. Only God knows where parents are pushing their kids to.

They are extra intelligent and you cannot condition them to stuck at one level with dumb kids.

Rubyjade:
While the Federal Government has reaffirmed that the minimum age for admission into Junior Secondary School 1 (JSS1) remains 10 years, there are several compelling arguments—supported by global trends, child development research, and comparative education systems—that suggest this policy may warrant a reassessment or review.

1. Cognitive and Emotional Maturity:
According to developmental psychologists like Jean Piaget, children between the ages of 7 to 11 are in the “concrete operational stage”, where they begin to develop logical thinking but still struggle with abstract concepts. Many experts argue that 12 years is a more developmentally appropriate age to begin secondary-level education where subjects become more abstract and challenging.

UNESCO and OECD studies recommend that secondary education should ideally start at 11 to 12 years in most developing contexts to align with optimal cognitive readiness.

Children under 10 often struggle with abstract concepts in math, science, and social studies—leading to higher dropout rates or poor performance in JSS1 and JSS2.


2. Global Comparisons:
In many countries, children begin lower secondary school (equivalent to JSS1) at an older age than Nigeria’s current policy.

United Kingdom: Secondary school starts at 11 years (Year 7).

Finland: Lower secondary starts around 12 years.

United States: Middle school (similar to JSS1) typically begins at 11–12 years.

South Africa: Grade 7 (start of secondary school) is for 12–13-year-olds.

Nigeria’s policy of admitting 10-year-olds into JSS1 is among the youngest globally and raises concerns about educational outcomes and stress levels in young learners.

3. Learning Retention and Long-Term Performance:
Early transition to JSS1 has not consistently led to improved academic performance in national assessments.

According to WAEC and NECO statistics, there is a noticeable drop in performance in core subjects such as Mathematics and English among students who entered JSS1 early. Many teachers report that younger JSS1 students often lag in emotional regulation, peer interaction, and academic discipline. This trend suggests a mismatch between chronological age and academic expectations.

4. Parental Pressure and Over-Ambitious Timelines:
Maintaining a minimum entry age of 10 has not deterred:

The rising number of underage university students, with some as young as 14–15 years entering higher education—below the prescribed 16-year minimum. Private school systems increasingly accelerate children through basic education to gain a competitive advantage, often at the expense of depth and maturity.

Raising the minimum JSS1 age to 12 could naturally help curb these issues by realigning educational progression with emotional and psychological development.

5. Rural and Underserved Areas:
In many rural parts of Nigeria, children start school late due to limited access or cultural practices. Enforcing a 12-year minimum could help standardize entry age across regions and reduce the stigma for older children entering JSS1. It also provides a buffer for those who start school later due to factors beyond their control, helping improve equity in education.

While the government is right to prevent misinformation, there is strong justification to reassess the JSS1 minimum age policy. A revised benchmark of 11–12 years could promote better cognitive alignment, reduce dropout rates, and enhance long-term academic performance.

Rather than dismissing the idea entirely, the Federal Ministry of Education could consider commissioning a national study on the impact of early secondary school entry and use the findings to make data-driven adjustments to policy in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.

And do they stay 6 years in secondary school and another 6 years in the university, the way most of you think ehnn,.. it just seems like there is worm in the brain of most Nigerians. At Dangote Refinery, come and see graduate trainees from India who are just 18 to 19 years old already have a degree and are doing their IT overseas in a refinery. It is a big shame sharing the same country with folks like you people.

donleo92:
The thing too much. They are like, my child is 10 years and he is in jss 3. And you are like......... What? How is the child coping with academics

They are doing excellently well better than yours of the same age, still in JSS 1. Everyone does not have the same brain.

Gbadebo19:
I honestly hope they are able to sustain this.
The rot in the education sector is so bad.
Some parents want to give birth today and send the child to university the week after and he or she should become a doctor by the age of 5. On top wetin!!!!

Go to Nigerian schools and see SS1 students that can't read a passage. That's even better, I have seen SS1 students that cannot pronounce three letter words!!!!

That is a different matter altogether, have you not seen a 14-year-old still in primary 4 that cannot spell his or her name? Keep deceiving yourself, you hear. Let them fix the malpractice system in schools and not turning around to limit the growth of kids without fixing the root cause of the problem. That is total laziness and madness on their part. So you want someone like me who sent my kids to the best private school in the country and still pays home tutors extra to tutor them to be world-class, you want to compare a dull child who went to some cheap government school to have the same development program like mine.

free2ryhme:
Parents are running a rat race with their kids cost of education is crazy

That is not the reason, I can tell you for a fact that parents these days are spending extra on extra moral lesson to ensure their kids get through school with high grades, In my office I have a colleasgue who earns the same salry as myself who doesn't care about his children education as a matter of fact he sent them to the cheapest private shool in their area, when i told him thee amount I pay for my kids per term in Primary school he shouted, because that amount will pay his own daughter fess for 2 years stariaght and the worst part is that I still got extra moral lesson for my kids during holidays and also after close of school he shouted again that i am waisting money. so you expect that colleague's child to have the same intelligence as mine. ne day he say a video my 5 year old daughter sent to me and he asked how old was she and I told him then he said she is the same age as his daughter and that how can she can speak so talk and hold conversation so well, that she has a sharp mouth, I just told him that is my money talking. So don't say parents don't spend money, maybe you or yours are running away from the cost, but a lot are spending more to make sure they have brilliant kids.

fxexperts:
They are extra intelligent and you cannot condition them to stuck at one level with dumb kids.

Everybody’s kids is now extra intelligent like we don’t know what plays. Can’t you see the quality of graduates the country is churning out in the name of extra intelligent.

CoronaVirusPro:
oEverybody’s kids is now extra intelligent like we don’t know what plays. Can’t you see the quality of graduates the country is churning out in the name of extra intelligent.

Its not every kids, that is why the government should reposition the system to catch the cheaters, for crying out loud there are exams to be written for kids to gain admission into secondary school and university. Because the government and the system have failed due to exam malpractice, the government wants to drag everyone else back with its backward policies. Just because their are thieves in Nigeria is not a reason for the government to say every Nigerian should be sent to prison for 6 months. If the child is not extra brilliant then that child should fail the exams and in turn cannot get into secondary school. This is pure laziness on the part of the education ministry; instead of them to look for ways to curb exam malpractices, they are busy chasing shadows. And you think by doing this automatically exam malpractices will stop. Or because a student is of the right age, then no need to write the exams; they will be admitted immediately, or it's okay for them to cheat and graduate.

Gbadebo19:
In one way or the other, it affects. Imagine a child that skipped up to 3 classes between primary and junior secondary, and landed in SS1 at the age of 11. While it may not be direct, those skipped classes are the reason why such a student is in that class at that age.

Skiping classes shouldn't be issue, as long as he/she can cope with the class he is.

Let me tell you something, the education system of 6-3-3-4= 16 is wasting of time and delay of success. Add 16yrs to 6yrs recommended to start school, its equal 22yrs +x(x means wasted years) you will see people graduating at 27,28 some over 30 reducing their age to allow them go for NYSC.

Go to developed country and see young professionals at their teens, early 20's and they are university graduate. Like European footballer, @35 they are due to retired and fulfilled, while 35yrs in Nigeria never have a career because he has use his entire productive life to pursue education system which will still not give sound skill to excel.

I can go on and on, Nigerian don't need to spend too much year in school, graduate on time and hustle or relearn

Lanre1st:
Skiping classes shouldn't be issue, as long as he/she can cope with the class he is.

Let me tell you something, the education system of 6-3-3-4= 16 is wasting of time and delay of success. Add 16yrs to 6yrs recommended to start school, its equal 22yrs +x(x means wasted years) you will see people graduating at 27,28 some over 30 reducing their age to allow them go for NYSC.

Go to developed country and see young professionals at their teens, early 20's and they are university graduate. Like European footballer, @35 they are due to retired and fulfilled, while 35yrs in Nigeria never have a career because he has use his entire productive life to pursue education system which will still not give sound skill to excel.

I can go on and on, Nigerian don't need to spend too much year in school, graduate on time and hustle or relearn

You are funny. You are comparing a country where the citizens have lesser things to worry about with Nigeria.
You are comparing the white man land to Nigeria. Those people have access to better resources that enhances their learning. Even if they spend fewer years in school, they usually grab and understand better than Nigerians.
And except you are just reading stories from Google, ask how many of them oversea actually complete an equivalent of secondary school? Are majority of them still not doing well? How many people who didn't complete secondary school in Nigeria are doing well?

I can't stress myself please. That your position is totally unworkable in a country like Nigeria.

Gbadebo19:
You are funny. You are comparing a country where the citizens have lesser things to worry about with Nigeria.
You are comparing the white man land to Nigeria. Those people have access to better resources that enhances their learning. Even if they spend fewer years in school, they usually grab and understand better than Nigerians.
And except you are just reading stories from Google, ask how many of them oversea actually complete an equivalent of secondary school? Are majority of them still not doing well? How many people who didn't complete secondary school in Nigeria are doing well?

I can't stress myself please. That your position is totally unworkable in a country like Nigeria.

You literally iterate my point; spending many years in school does not translate to success even in Nigeria. For Nigeria to progress, we need to spend less time in classroom learning, because actually knowledge we need is sound skill which is better learned with practical, on-field and on-the-job.

Lanre1st:
You literally iterate my point; spending many years in school does not translate to success even in Nigeria. For Nigeria to progress, we need to spend less time in classroom learning, because actually knowledge we need is sound skill which is better learned with practical, on-field and on-the-job.

I don't think the number of years we are spending in classroom learning matters. Admittedly, if your suggestion can be implemented, I am of the opinion that the 6 3 3 4 will only serve to further strengthen our educational system, and not denigrate it. In fact, for a country like Nigeria, it is important.

For instance, a 14 year old dropout in advanced western countries has other opportunities be it in sport or even personal development and may choose not to go to tertiary institution. Does such an opportunity arises in Nigeria? No. Even after graduating early, what are the prospects of finding something worthwhile to do?

While spending lesser years in the classroom is a welcome development, it will not work in Nigeria unless there are other opportunities already put in place which will take decades to implement and a lot of orientation and re orientation of the upcoming generation. Finishing secondary or higher institution at an early age only to become idle will only increase crime.