The Minister of Education Professor Tahir Mamman may have succumbed to stakeholders’ protest against the federal government policy on 18 years of age for candidates seeking admissions into tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
After discussions with stakeholders, on Thursday, this year’s admission entry age has been set at 16 due to certain considerations.
According to the minister, “Moving forward, the minimum age for university admission will be 18, and institutions that do not comply will face sanctions.”
Regarding the controversial age requirements for admission, the minister initially stated that only candidates aged 18 and above would be admitted.
Meanwhile, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has approved new cut-off marks for admission into tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
The minimum scores have been set at 140 for universities, 100 for polytechnics, and 100 for colleges of education.
JAMB Registrar, Is-haq Oloyede, clarified that while these are the minimum requirements, institutions are free to set higher standards.
He also emphasized that post UTME screening fees should not exceed N2000 and that JAMB will provide candidates’ biometric data to their chosen institutions.
