FG to Enforce Ban on Underage Admissions Starting 2025 – Minister

• Following protests at the 2024 Joint Admissions and Matriculation Examination policy meeting, the ban on underage admissions has been postponed to 2025.
• Stakeholders from various tertiary institutions strongly resisted the new minimum age requirement, leading to a rowdy session and necessitating intervention to restore order.
• Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, emphasized the need for the age requirement to prevent educational system damage but agreed to delay its enforcement, allowing the policy to take effect from subsequent years.

FG to Enforce Ban on Underage Admissions Starting 2025 – Minister

Abuja, Nigeria – The Federal Government has announced a reversal of its immediate enforcement of a ban on underage admissions into tertiary institutions, following intense protests by stakeholders at the 2024 ongoing policy meeting of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Examination (JAMB).

The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, disclosed that the new policy, which sets the minimum admission age at 18 years, will now be enforced starting in 2025.

The initial announcement sparked significant backlash from stakeholders present at the meeting, which included representatives from various tertiary institutions across the country.

The session turned rowdy as attendees voiced their strong opposition to the new minimum admission age requirement.

Prof. Mamman attempted to explain the rationale behind the policy, emphasizing the importance of ensuring that candidates are sufficiently mature before entering tertiary education.

“Are we together?” the minister asked amid the uproar, to which the stakeholders loudly responded, “No!” The situation required the intervention of the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, who managed to restore order to the meeting.

After consulting with other stakeholders, Prof. Oloyede acknowledged the need for a phased implementation of the new policy.

“At the time they (candidates) were taking the examinations, they were not aware. So if we want to enforce it then it should be for subsequent years,” he stated.

Consequently, the ban on underage admissions will not apply to the 2024 admissions cycle but will come into effect for 2025 admissions.

Prof. Mamman highlighted the adverse effects of enrolling underage candidates on the university system and the broader education framework.

He emphasized that children should follow the established education timeline, which includes six years of basic education and six years of secondary education, culminating in tertiary education at around 18 years of age.

“Information has revealed that the enrolment of underage candidates is inflicting serious damage on the university and the education system, hence, the need for enforcement of extant rules,” the minister stated.

“When I was monitoring the just concluded 2024 UTME, I was alarmed at the participation of a large number of obviously under-age candidates in the examination.”

The minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to adhering to the educational policies that stipulate nine years of basic education and three years of Senior Secondary Education before admission into tertiary institutions.

He instructed JAMB to enforce the age requirement, beginning with the 2025 admissions cycle, and advised universities to avoid recommending underage students for admission.

“Flowing from this, JAMB is hereby instructed to admit only eligible students’ i.e., those who have attained 18 years,” he added. “Universities are advised to avoid recommending unqualified children for admission.”

This decision aims to uphold the integrity of Nigeria’s education system and ensure that students entering tertiary institutions possess the necessary maturity and readiness for higher education.

The policy is expected to standardize the age of entry into universities and other higher education institutions, aligning with global best practices.