The federal government has issued a directive stipulating that candidates under the age of 18 should not be granted admission to tertiary institutions.
Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, made this announcement during a monitoring exercise of the ongoing 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Bwari, Federal Capital Territory.
He expressed concern over parents pressuring their underage children to gain admission into higher institutions. He emphasised that the 18-year benchmark aligns with the 6-3-3-4 education system.
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Mamman lamented the trend of underage students sitting for university entrance exams, stating, “The minimum age of entry into the university is 18, but we have seen students who are 15 or 16 years old going in for the entrance examination.”
He attributed this phenomenon to parental pressure and emphasised the need for parents to refrain from pushing their children prematurely into tertiary education.
Mamman added: “We are going to look at this development because the candidates are too young to understand what the whole university education is all about,” Mamman remarked. This highlights the importance of age-appropriate admission into tertiary institutions.
Addressing the issue of skill acquisition for students unable to secure admission, Mamman affirmed the commitment of the ministry to introducing skill acquisition programs from the primary school level.
He reiterated that only 20 percent of students can be admitted into tertiary institutions, emphasising the necessity of providing viable alternatives for the remaining 80 percent through skill acquisition initiatives.
JAMB spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, echoed Mamman’s stance on the 18-year admission benchmark, stating that it is in line with the 6-3-3-4 education system. He stressed the importance of maintaining age-appropriate standards for tertiary education admissions.
Minister of State for Education, Yusuf Sununu, who participated in the monitoring exercise, praised the conduct of the 2024 UTME. He, specifically, lauded the introduction of online examinations to combat malpractice. Sununu commended the effectiveness of the computer-based test (CBT) in minimizing exam irregularities. Sununu applauds JAMB for upholding high standards in the examination process.