The federal government, on Thursday, directed the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to admit only candidates who are 18 years or older into tertiary institutions.

In line with this directive, the government has cautioned universities against recommending underage students for admission.

Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, conveyed this message during the 2024 Policy Meeting on Admissions to tertiary institutions in Nigeria. He highlighted that enrolling underage candidates harms not only the universities but the entire education system.

The policy meeting aims to establish the guidelines for admission into tertiary institutions for the 2024/2025 academic session, impacting millions of candidates seeking higher education in Nigeria.

This significant educational policy assembly includes heads of tertiary institutions (vice-chancellors, rectors, and provosts), regulatory bodies (National Universities Commission, National Board for Technical Education, National Commission for Colleges of Education), and other key stakeholders in Nigeria's tertiary education sector.

While acknowledging that the senate or academic boards of institutions initiate the admission process, the minister emphasized that JAMB is legally mandated to regulate admissions to ensure fairness and equity.

He stated, “During my monitoring of the 2024 UTME, I was alarmed by the large number of obviously underage candidates participating. This prompted my comments on enforcing educational policies requiring 9 years of Basic Education and 3 years of Senior Secondary Education before entry into tertiary institutions. A child enrolled in basic school at age 6 and completing 12 years of education would be around 18 years old when entering a tertiary institution.

“Further information revealed that underage enrolments are damaging our universities and education system, necessitating enforcement of existing rules.

“I also learned about the surge in age-change requests, reflecting attempts to circumvent the age policy. Hence, JAMB is instructed to admit only students aged 18 and... READ MORE