The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, has announced that starting next year, candidates under the age of 18 will no longer be allowed to take the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination.
Speaking yesterday (Sunday, August 25) in Abuja, the FCT, in an interview on Channels TV, Mamman emphasized that the minimum age for admission is 18 years, in line with the country’s education policy.
According to him, while students under 18 will be permitted to take the JAMB examination this year, this is only to provide advance notice to parents of the changes coming in 2025.
“Nothing has changed. It is still 18 years. What we did at the JAMB meeting was to allow this year and for it to serve as a kind of notice for parents that this year JAMB will admit students below 18 years. But from next year, JAMB will insist anybody going to apply to university in Nigeria meets the required age which is 18. For the avoidance of doubt, this is not a new policy. This is a policy that has been there for a long time. And basically, if you compute the number of years learners are supposed to be in school, the number you end up with is 17 and a half. From daycare to primary school, then secondary school, you will end up with 17 and a half. And by the time the school is ready for admission, you have the age,” Mamman explained.
Additionally, the Minister stated that student loans will not be available to students attending private institutions, pointing out that “What is available under the law is far, far below what students pay in private universities, both for tuition and upkeep.”
The Minister also reiterated that students who have not completed the required minimum number of years in school will be barred from taking both the National Examinations Council (NECO) and the West African Examination Council (WAEC) exams.
According to Mamman, a child must spend a minimum of 17 and a half years in daycare, primary, and secondary school before being allowed to sit for these exams necessary for university admission.
“We are not actually coming up with new policies contrary to what some people are saying. We are just reminding people of what is existing. In any case, NECO and WAEC will not be allowing underage children to write their examinations. In other words, if somebody has not spent the required number of years in that particular level of study, they will not be allowed either NECO or WAEC. It’s not a matter of age. It’s a matter of the years spent at each level of education,” Mamman added.
When asked about provisions for exceptionally bright students, Mamman acknowledged that there is potential to create opportunities for those who demonstrate exceptional intelligence, noting that similar practices are in place in other countries but stressed that in Nigeria, the challenge is the risk of these opportunities being exploited by the majority of students seeking admission to higher institutions.
“At the moment, this is what we have. But it’s very legitimate to appeal and look at that window of how we care for our smart children. And this is a conversation for another day. Other countries do similar things. They have age specifications for each level of education. But again, they look at the possibilities of smart children. A lot of times in Nigeria, what is a window eventually becomes a door,” Mamman concluded.
