The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has disclosed that candidates who are 16 years old would be considered for admission into tertiary institutions for the 2024 academic year.
JAMB disclosed this in a statement on its X page (formerly Twitter) on Thursday.
The board, however, stated that for the subsequent academic years, candidates under 18 years old would not be considered for admission into tertiary institutions in the country.
“Candidates who are 16 years old would be considered for admissions into tertiary institutions for the 2024 academic year, however, the entry age would be 18 years as from next academic year,” JAMB said.
Tribune Online reports that the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, explained why the federal government is banning under-18 admissions into tertiary institutions.
According to him, ”Information has revealed that the enrolment of underage candidates is inflicting serious damage on the university and the education system, hence, the need for enforcement of extant rules.
“When I was monitoring the just concluded 2024 UTME, I was alarmed at the participation of a large number of obviously under-age candidates in the examination.”
READ ALSO FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
