Minister: Higher Education Entry Age Should Be At least 18

At the 2024 annual policy meeting, the minister directed that admission to tertiary institutions should not be given to candidates under 18 years old.

Although the announcement prompted responses from vice-chancellors, rectors, and registrars present at the meeting, the minister decried the activities of some parents, who are pressuring their underage wards to get admission into tertiary institutions.

Mamman said that the 18-year benchmark is in line with the 6-3-3-4 system of education.

The minister yielded after the argument that students under the age of 18 had already registered, sat and passed the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and were awaiting admission.

Heading the opposition to the minister’s pronouncement, Prof. Kayode Ijiadunola, who got massive support from other heads, registrars and admission officers participating in the policy meeting, proposed 16 as the minimum age requirement for admission into tertiary institutions.

“What happens to those who have written this year’s exams and passed their exams? We reject 18 years as the minimum age requirement and are proposing 16 years,” he said.

As the hall resounded with support for a 16-year minimum requirement, the Registrar of JAMB asked where parents and candidates were rushing to.

“The only point is they have taken examinations and at that time they were not told or aware and therefore if we want to enforce it, it should be from subsequent years,” Professor Oloyede said.

The minister in response says, “I can work with that but I want to remind you of one thing, even that argument cannot stand if we want to go by the law which states 6-3-3-4 as our system of education, it won’t stand but for practical reasons, for this year, I will allow it to stand.”

Reiterating the minister’s decision amidst resounding applause, Professor Oloyede added, “We thank the minister for conceding but from next year we will enforce it.”

Professor Mamman, while delivering his address earlier as the chairman of the 2024 Joint Admissions Matriculation Board’s (JAMB) policy meeting on Education, had called for the enforcement of 18 years as the new minimum admission age for admission into tertiary institutions in the country.