FG pegs 18 years as minimum entry age to universities, polytechnics, others

Kunle Sanni

The Federal Government has issued a directive that candidates under the age of 18 should not be admitted into tertiary institutions.

The Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, made this announcement during a monitoring exercise of the ongoing 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Bwari, Federal Capital Territory.

The Minister, according to a report by News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Monday expressed his concern over the pressure being put by some parents on their underage children to get admission into tertiary institutions. He further explained that this directive is in accordance with the 6-3-3-4 system of education and the 18-year benchmark.

He said “The minimum age of entry into the University is 18, but we have seen students who are 15, 16 years going in for the entrance examination.

“Parents should be encouraged not to push their wards too much. Mostly, it is the pressure of parents that is causing this.

“We are going to look at this development because the candidates are too young to understand what the whole university education is all about.

“This is the period when children migrate from controlled to uncontrolled environments; when they are in charge of their own affairs.

“But, if they are too young, they won’t be able to manage properly. I think that is part of what we are seeing in the Universities today,” he said.

On skill acquisition for those who will not be able to gain admissions into tertiary institutions, Mamman said the ministry is taking skills to pupils from primary school.

“In overall, it is 20 per cent that can be admitted into the University, Polytechnic and Colleges of Education system.

“So, where will the 80 per cent go? That is why the issue of skills acquisition is very important.

“Any student who is unable to proceed to tertiary institutions should be able to have a meaningful life after primary and secondary school’s education and the only solution to this is skill acquisition,” he said.

The JAMB spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, supported the minister’s stance on the 18-year requirement for admission to higher institutions by stating that this time frame aligns with the 6-3-3-4 educational system.

The Minister of State for Education and a member of the monitoring committee, Yusuf Sununu praised the manner the 2024 UTME was conducted, especially the use of online exams to check for irregularities.

He claimed that the Computer Based Test (CBT) had minimised test misconduct.

Sununu praised the Board for establishing straightforward yet rigorous exam criteria.