The Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, has granted approval for the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and Nigerian tertiary institutions to admit candidates from the age of 16.
The minister had, earlier in his speech, directed the institutions not to admit candidates below the age of 18.
The Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, has reversed his initial directive that tertiary institutions should not admit candidates under the age of 18, following objections from heads of institutions at the 2024 admission policy meeting in Abuja.
The minister had cited the law and policies requiring students to complete six years of primary education, three years of basic education, and three years of secondary education before entering tertiary institutions, effectively barring those under 18.
However, representatives of tertiary institutions, including Elizade University, argued that many candidates under 18 had already taken the UTME exam and would be unfairly disadvantaged by the directive.
After heated discussions, the minister agreed to admit candidates from the age of 16, a decision that was approved by the meeting and received applause from the audience, providing relief to affected candidates.
