The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof Is-haq Oloyede, announced a new policy allowing exceptionally bright candidates under 16 to sit for the annual Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Oloyede revealed this on Sunday, February 9, during a TV night socio-political show.
He said while the examination authority maintains a minimum age requirement of 16 for students entering tertiary institutions, there is now a special provision for under-16 candidates who demonstrate exceptional academic abilities.
“We are saying 16 years is the minimum, but if you know you are exceptional, register for exceptional candidacy–that is, you are less than 16 years old and exceptional,” he said.
The JAMB registrar criticized the trend among parents who alter their children’s ages to gain admission. He disclosed that the Board found that some students between 10 and 12 years old had been registered for the UTME.
“I’m surprised, just from Monday to now, over 2,000 have registered in the whole country. Some of them are 10, 11, and 12-year-olds whose parents have found crooked ways of jumping classes,” Oloyede said.
In November 2024, Dr. Tunji Alausa, the Minister of Education, announced reinstating the 16-year admission age requirement for tertiary institutions, reversing the previous 18-year benchmark.
This new policy attempts to recognize and nurture exceptional young talents while addressing the issue of age fraud in the admission process.
Like 👍, Comment, share this article, and Follow us on our social media handles.
WhatsApp Channel
Telegram Channel
