SBNNEWS:::19072024
In a bid policy shift, the Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, has agreed to set the admission age for tertiary institutions at sixteen for the 2024/2025 academic session. This decision came after substantial opposition from stakeholders during the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) 2024 policy meeting.
Initially, Professor Mamman had established eighteen as the minimum age for undergraduate admission. However, he reversed this decision in response to widespread protests. Stakeholders argued that students under eighteen who had already registered for and passed the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) were awaiting admission.
The policy meeting, held yesterday in Abuja, brought together the JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, along with vice chancellors, registrars, and other key stakeholders. Leading the charge against the eighteen-year age requirement, Professor Kayode Ijiadunola, supported by numerous heads of institutions and admission officers, advocated for sixteen as the minimum admission age.
The proposal for a sixteen-year admission age received overwhelming support from attendees. However, the JAMB Registrar questioned the urgency among parents and candidates in seeking earlier admissions.
Imaobong Umoekah
For StàndbyNetwork
