ABUJA: The Minister of education, Tahir Mamman says underage candidates will no longer be allowed to sit for secondary school leaving examinations and the joint admission and matriculation examination.
Mamman stated that the Federal Government has instructed the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) which administers the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) which organises the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) to comply with the directive on 18 years age limit for any candidate to be eligible for the two examinations.
Also, Mamman emphasized that candidates must still be at least 18 years old to sit for the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB)-organized Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
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“It is 18 (years),” the minister confirmed. In our July meeting with JAMB, we decided to allow this year and use it as a kind of notice to parents that, beginning next year, JAMB will insist that all candidates seeking to attend a Nigerian university be at least eighteen years old.
“For the avoidance of doubt, this is not a new policy; this is a policy that has been there for a long timIn essence, if you calculate the duration that students and learners should attend school, the total comes to 17.5 years,
This encompassing early childhood care, primary school, junior secondary school, and senior secondary school. When all is said and done, you will have seventeen and a half.
Therefore, contrary to what some people are saying, we aren’t introducing new policies—rather, we are merely reminding people of what already exists.
In any event, children under the age of adulthood will no longer be permitted to take examinations administered by NECO or WAEC. Stated in various ways, if a student has not dedicated the necessary number of years to that specific field of study.
The minister went further to give a breakdown of the number of years pupils are expected to spend between child care and senior secondary school.
