Education Minister backtracks, sticks to 16 years as minimum for admission into tertiary institutions

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The Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, has made a U-turn accepting 16 years as the required admission age into tertiary institutions for the 2024/2025 academic session.

Earlier, the minister had earlier pegged the admission age of undergraduates to 18.

But he changed this position foowing protests from stakeholders at the 2024 policy meeting organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

The minister softpedalled following the argument that students under the age of 18 had already registered, sat and passed the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and were awaiting admission.

The meeting held on Thursday in Abuja and had in attendance the JAMB Registrar, Ishaq Oloyede, vice chancellers, registrars and other stakeholders.

Professor Kayode Ijiadunola, who got massive support from other heads, registrars and admission officers participating in the policy meeting, proposed 16 as the minimum age requirement for admission into tertiary institutions.

He ecplained that, “What happens to those who have written this year’s exams and passed their exams? We reject 18 years as the minimum age requirement and are proposing 16 years.”

The stakeholders in the hall erupted in support of 16 years as a minimum requirement, and the Registrar of JAMB asked where parents and candidates were rushing to.

Professor Oloyede said, “The only point is they have taken examinations and at that time they were not told or aware and therefore if we want to enforce it, it should be from subsequent years.”

The minister, however, said: “I can work with that but I want to remind you of one thing, even that argument cannot stand if we want to go by the law which states 6-3-3-4 as our system of education, it won’t stand but for practical reasons, for this year, I will allow it to stand.”

Professor Oloyede, who reiterated the minister’s decision amidst resounding applause, said, “We thank the minister for conceding but from next year we will enforce it.”

Earlier, Professor Mamman, in his address as the chairman of the 2024 Joint Admissions Matriculation Board’s (JAMB) policy meeting on Education, had called for the enforcement of 18 years as the new minimum admission age for admission into tertiary institutions in the country.