The federal government, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has established a minimum age requirement for tertiary institution admission in Nigeria.
This decision was announced by the Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, during the ongoing policy meeting in Abuja on Thursday, July 18.
Professor Mamman stated that the age for admission into tertiary institutions is now set at 18 years old. He instructed the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to ensure that only students aged 18 and above are admitted into higher institutions starting from the 2024 admissions cycle.
According to The Nation, the minister attributed some of the problems in Nigerian higher institutions to underaged students. This new policy, however, faced significant resistance from stakeholders attending the meeting. Reports from The Punch indicate that the session became contentious as stakeholders protested the minimum age requirement.
“JAMB is hereby notified that there is now a ban on underaged students, those under the age of 18, into our tertiary institutions from this 2024 admissions,” Professor Mamman declared.
The announcement was met with jeers and opposition from the stakeholders. The Registrar of JAMB, Professor Is-haq Oloyede, had to intervene to restore order during the rowdy session. Despite the minister’s query, “Are we together?” the stakeholders collectively responded with a resounding “No!”
The policy meeting, an annual event in the education sector, sets the guidelines for admissions into tertiary institutions. It is attended by heads of institutions, registrars, admission officers, and other key stakeholders.
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