The Federal Government has said that exceptionally brilliant students who were below the age of 18 may be considered to sit for WASSCE and NECO.
The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, hinted on possibility of the exemption during a tour of the Federal Government Academy, Suleja on Thursday .
The Minister who was asked if the 18 age limit would apply to a school that raises very intelligent students replied, “It may not and we are going to to develop a criteria to guide what we will call Gifted children.”
Speaking on the school renovation, Mamman extended resumption of Federal Government Academy, Suleja by 10 days.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Minister, alongside the Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu, took turns to inspect some facilities undergoing renovations in the school.
The facilities include the students’ hostels, toilet facilities, school clinic, laboratories, and the skills and renovation centre.
The minister said that the tour was necessary to ascertain the level of progress in the renovation of some of the school facilities.
He said the extension was necessary to give more time to those working to complete their work while making the environment conducive for learners.
“This is the only school of its type in the country, which is the National School for the gifted, where we are supposed to assemble students who demonstrate special aptitude and capacity.
“For us, we need to showcase the school and to do that, we need to ensure that necessary infrastructure is there and the academic environment is suitable for that purpose.
“This school started with old facilities, and maintenance is a problem. What we have seen doesn’t answer our expectations of the school that it should be.
“They have achieved some mileage, and that is not the destination we should be looking at, so we are here to inspect the school,” he said.
Mamman, while lamenting the decay in infrastructure facilities in the school, pledged the support of the ministry in providing massive support to elevate and bring the school to the standard it should be.
He commended the Parent Teachers Association (PTA) and the old students for their active community engagement in mobilising others to improve some of the facilities seen in the school.
When asked if the age limit issue would affect the students owing to their educational capabilities and talents, Mamman said the policy on 18 years would not affect them.
“Underage criteria may not apply to the gifted students as we are already developing a criteria to guide what will be called gifted children,” he explained.
NAN also reports that the school, which is expected to resume for the 2024/25 academic session on Sunday, September 8, will now resume on September 18.
The school, established in 1990 by the former Head of State, Ibrahim Babangida, is fully funded by the federal government for gifted students.
Students in this school only pay PTA level while their tuition fees are fully paid for by the federal government. (NAN)