The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced that underage students will no longer be allowed to take the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE), conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO), respectively. This new directive was confirmed by the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics program.
Mamman emphasized that the government has instructed both WAEC and NECO to enforce the rule that candidates must be at least 18 years old to sit for these crucial secondary school leaving exams. He also reiterated that the same age requirement applies to the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), which is administered by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
“It is 18 years. What we did at the meeting that we had with JAMB in July was to allow this year and for it to serve as a kind of notice for parents that this year, JAMB will admit students who are below that age. But from next year, JAMB is going to insist that anybody applying to go to university in Nigeria meets the required age, which is 18,” Mamman stated firmly.
The Minister clarified that this policy is not new but rather a long-standing requirement that is being reinforced.
“Even basically, if you compute the number of years pupils and learners are supposed to be in school, the number you will end up with is 17 and a half—from early child care to primary school to junior secondary school and then senior secondary school. You will end up with 17 and a half by the time they are ready for admission,” he explained.
Mamman noted that the government’s directive is intended to remind parents and educators of the existing policy rather than introduce a new one. He stressed that both NECO and WAEC will strictly enforce this age requirement moving forward.
“In any case, NECO and WAEC, henceforth, will not be allowing underage children to write their examinations. In other words, if somebody has not spent the requisite number of years in that particular level of study, WAEC and NECO will not allow them to write the examination,” he added.
Providing further details, the Minister outlined the expected educational timeline for students. According to him, early child care is expected to last for five years. Pupils typically begin primary school at age six and spend six years there, moving on to junior secondary school at age 12. After spending three years in junior secondary, students progress to senior secondary school at age 15, where they spend another three years before becoming eligible to enter university at age 18.