February 11, 2025
By Idris Buba
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has said that candidates under the age of 16 can be considered for admission into tertiary institutions if they demonstrated that they are academically exceptional by scoring 80 per cent and above in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.
Given that the total score in the UTME is 400 marks, 80 represents a minimum score of 320.
This development followed the reversal of the mandatory 18-year admission age benchmark introduced by the former Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman.
The current education minister, Olatunji Alausa, reverted to the previous benchmark of 16 years, a move widely supported by stakeholders in the education sector.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, had at a meeting with key stakeholders which included Chief External Examiners, Chief Technical Advisors and members of the Equal Opportunity Group, maintained that while the 16-year age requirement remains the standard, exceptional candidates under the age of 16 may be granted admission under strict conditions.
In an excerpt of the meeting, Oloyede, was quoted, “This is about complying with the law. Age plays a crucial role in maturity and academic development. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have age limits for leadership positions such as local government chairman. Biological age is linked to intellectual growth, and while rules exist, there must be room for exceptions.
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“The Minister of Education had clearly stated that the minimum age for admission remains 16. However, we acknowledge that some gifted children exist. These individuals should not be overlooked. We must identify them and allow them to sit for the exams.”
Oloyede, however, emphasized that exceptional students must demonstrate outstanding academic ability across multiple assessments, including the UTME, WASSCE, Post-UTME, and GCE O/Level.
“If a candidate under 16 scores 200 out of 400 in the UTME, can they truly be considered exceptional? However, if they achieve 80% (320/400), that signals exceptional ability and warrants consideration,” he added.
He expressed concerns over the role of private universities in admitting underage students, stating that many of these candidates struggle academically, with up to 80 percent eventually being transferred to other programmes due to poor performance.
Oloyede, who explained that Mock UTME is not for the purpose of tertiary institution admission but for underage seeking to test their ability, condemned the manipulation of birth certificates and records by parents seeking early admission for their wards, only to later attempt to alter their ages for eligibility in the National Youth Service Corps programme.
