Education Minister Prof. Tahir Mamman on Thursday reversed his ban on admissions of minors following protests from stakeholders at the ongoing 2024 Joint Admissions and Matriculation Examination policy meeting.
Stakeholders protested against the new minimum age for admission set at 18 years.
Immediately after, Professor Mamman made the announcement and the stakeholders, who gathered their members from all tertiary institutions in the country, expressed their resistance, turning the session into chaos.
The minister, who was unable to continue his speech due to the uproar, asked: “Are we together?”
However, stakeholders responded with a resounding “No!”
The minister, who seemed unfazed by the developments, continued his speech while trying to give reasons for setting the new admission parameter at 18 years.
It took the intervention of JAMB Secretary, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, to restore order at the policy meeting.
However, after consulting with other stakeholders, Oloyede said: “At the time when they (candidates) were writing the exams, they were not aware. Therefore, if we want to implement it, then it should be for subsequent years.”
The minister, however, noted that the ban will remain in place for admissions in 2024.
“The information has revealed that the registration of underage candidates is causing serious damage to the university and the educational system, hence the need to apply the current regulations.
“When I was closely following the just concluded UTME 2024, I was alarmed by the participation of a large number of obviously underage candidates in the examination.
“This necessitated my comment on the need to enforce the current provisions of educational policies which mandate nine years of basic education and three years of upper secondary education before entry into a tertiary institution.
“It is clear that a child who is, as expected, enrolled in primary school at the age of six and has completed 12 years of education, would be around 18 years old when he or she enrolls in a tertiary institution.
“From this, JAMB is hereby instructed to admit only eligible students, that is, those who have attained the age of 18 years.
“Universities are advised to avoid recommending admission to unqualified children,” he added.
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