Niger's Consultative Council has suggested that only those with a university degree should be allowed to run in presidential elections.
Opposition groups have criticized the proposal, saying it excludes much of the population which is illiterate. "This is pure discrimination because only 20% of Nigeriens know how to read and write in French," said former MP Sabo Saidu.
The council said making it obligatory for presidential candidates to have a university degree would help bring Niger into the world of international business.
"Changes always have their advantages and setbacks. But in this specific case, Niger must endeavor to draft progress," said the council's spokesman Colonel Ibrahim Yacoub.
Other proposed changes include making it compulsory for parliamentary candidates to have at least secondary education. Candidates would also have to be under 70 years of age.
Nomadic children in the northern part of the country are often deprived of access to schools and the majority of the population of the Niger have little access to higher education.