The Federal Government (FG) has reversed its decision to set the minimum admission age for tertiary institutions at 18, following significant opposition. Initially, the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, declared that only candidates aged 18 and above would be eligible for admission starting from 2025. However, due to protests, 16-year-olds will still be allowed to gain admission for now.
According to a report from Vanguard, the policy change occurred after arguments were made that students under 18 had already taken and passed the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and were awaiting admission. Prof. Kayode Thadius Ijiadunola, Vice Chancellor of Elizade University, led the motion to lower the age limit to 16, receiving strong support from other university heads and admission officers. They argued that the new age limit of 18 would unfairly affect students who had already met the existing requirements.
During the policy meeting, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), questioned the urgency behind the rush for younger students to enter tertiary institutions. He emphasized that while the rule would be enforced in future years, this year's candidates should be exempt.
In response to the discussions, Prof. Mamman agreed to allow 16-year-olds to be admitted this year but reminded attendees that the law technically supports an 18-year benchmark. Nonetheless, he agreed to delay enforcement of the new rule.
Prof. Oloyede reiterated the minister's concession, emphasizing that the 18-year minimum age requirement would be enforced starting next year. This decision was made during an annual policy meeting where the new minimum UTME scores for 2024 admissions were also set. The cut-off marks were established at 140 for universities and 100 for polytechnics and colleges of education.
The meeting, chaired by Prof. Mamman, followed the 2024 UTME, which saw 1,989,668 registered candidates, with 1,904,189 sitting for the exams. This policy meeting is a significant event, marking the commencement of admissions into the country’s tertiary institutions. Institutions have the freedom to set their own cut-off marks as long as they meet or exceed the national minimum benchmark approved during the meeting.
0 Comments