The Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, has announced a new minimum age requirement for candidates seeking admission into Nigerian higher institutions.
Speaking at the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) 2024 policy meeting on Wednesday, Mamman stated that prospective students must now be at least 18 years old to gain admission into universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
The announcement was met with a resounding “no” from the assembled education stakeholders.
However, Mamman emphasized that the decision is already a federal government policy, aimed at ensuring that candidates are more mature when they begin their higher education journey.
“The decision is a policy the federal government has keyed into,” Mamman stated.
He suggested that those opposed to the new age requirement could approach the National Assembly to seek an amendment to the policy.
The JAMB policy meeting is a pivotal annual event where representatives from various tertiary institutions across the country convene to establish cut-off marks and guidelines for the upcoming academic year’s admissions.
This meeting sets the framework for the year’s admission processes and standards that all institutions must adhere to.
During the meeting, JAMB presents crucial data including application statistics, a performance evaluation of candidates, and the acceptable minimum admissions standards.
The session was attended by heads of key regulatory agencies such as the National Universities Commission (NUC), the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), and the National Council for Colleges of Education (NCCE), as well as leaders of tertiary institutions and delegates from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
