Nigerian government officially adopts 16 as minimum age for tertiary admissions
The Nigerian government has pegged the minimum age for admissions into Nigerian tertiary institutions at 16, while it is recalled that the former education minister, Tahir Mamman during last year’s meeting set the minimum age for admissions at 18, raising concerns.
Penpushing reports that, however, on Tuesday at the 2025 policy meeting organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, officially announced 16 years as minimum age for admission to higher institutions
The Minister at the annual meeting held to decide on procedures of admission for the academic year explained that the age reflects a balance between cognitive maturity and academic preparedness.
Penpushing further reports that Alausa who replaced Mamman following his removal reversed the policy and pegged it at 16 for last year’s admissions exercise, however, at Tuesday meeting warned institutions against breaching the rule, asking them to ensure strict compliance. .
“We understand there may be a few exceptional cases, and provisions have already been made for legitimate exceptions, especially for gifted children or those with accelerated educational progress. However, this must be demonstrated and documented, and it must be justified’, he said
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