Again, Nigerian govt says no admission for students below 18 years, warns JAMB, institutions

The Federal government has again repeated an earlier directive that students below the age of 18 years should not be granted admission into institutions of tertiary learning in the country.

The Minister of Education, Mister Tahir Mamman, gave the directive in Abuja on Thursday at the 2024 Policy meeting of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

The federal government had in April this year through Mamman, also given the same directive during a monitoring exercise of the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Bwari, Federal Capital Territory.

The minister who had decried the activities of some parents, who he said were pressuring their underage students to get admission into tertiary institutions, said the 18-year benchmark was in line with the 6-3-3-4 system of education.

READ ALSO:JAMB unearths 3,000 fake graduates, calls for crackdown on illegal admissions

Mamman emphasized the immediate implementation of the ban, stating, “JAMB is hereby instructed to cease admitting underaged students—those under the age of 18—into our tertiary institutions starting from the 2024 admissions.”

Furthermore, the Federal Government is actively contemplating the adoption of 18 years as the minimum age requirement for admission into universities and other tertiary educational establishments.

This move marks a decisive step aimed at regulating and standardizing the age at which students can pursue higher education in Nigeria, impacting thousands of prospective applicants and educational stakeholders nationwide.

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