..We welcome the new development- Lagos NUT
..Federal Commissioner, Prof Olowofela lauds policy
..As JAMB sets 150 cut- off mark for admission
Ibrahim Quadri, Joseph Okwuofu and Cosmas Chukwu
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has said that the Federal Government has pegged the minimum age for admission into tertiary institutions at 16 years.
Alausa spoke in Abuja on Tuesday at the 2025 policy meeting of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB.
Speaking on the development, the Chairman of Nigerian Union of Teachers, NUT, Ifako-Ijaiye chapter, Lagos State, Comrade Solola Olakunle has given kudos to the Federal Government for setting the age limit at 16.
Alausa said, ”This policy decision reflects a balance between cognitive maturity and academic preparedness. 16 years is non-negotiable,” he said.
He noted that provisions existed for clearly documented and justified exceptions like gifted children with accelerated educational progress.
He warned institutions against attempting to circumvent the rule by altering age records, stressing that such acts would attract sanctions.
The minister also unveiled new measures to curb the scourge of examination malpractices, which he described as a “cancer” undermining merit and eroding confidence in Nigeria’s education system.
He announced the establishment of a Central Examination Malpractice Unit within the Federal Ministry of Education, noting that, that would be chaired by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Abel Enitan.
He added that the unit would serve as a national clearing house for documenting and reporting malpractice cases across all levels of education.
“This central database will be accessible to all institutions. It is our hope that this will reduce the tendency to engage in malpractices, as offenders will be appropriately tried under the Exam Malpractices Act,” the minister said.
He also confirmed the government’s support for WAEC and NECO to adopt computer-based testing to curb malpractices.
While throwing his back on the policy, Olakunle said, “In my own viewpoint, it is a welcome idea. Age and education play important roles in a child’s development. The level of maturity of a child determines his or her IQ to some extent.
“Parents do push their children, a child of nine years in JSS1. Most of them are not mature enough. It is always a problem for the teacher and if the result comes out, it is the teacher that they blame. So I’m in support of the age limit of 16.”
He believes that to have strict adherence to the policy, the Federal Government should enact it as a law. “If it becomes a law, there is nothing any parent can do than to obey.”
He advised the government to carry out advocacy to enlighten those parents who still believe their children will have to be pushed for speedy admissions.
“You can imagine a graduate of law, preparing to go to the law school playing games on the computer, if he is mature enough, he would know what is expected of him.”
He however stated that, “We are not talking of genius, the federal government is having a way to take care of the genius.
“The government should continue to tell the parents on the advantage of the age limit, those of us who are in the classrooms know what we are passing through,” Olakunle submitted.
Also a member of the Federal Character Commission, representing Oyo state, Professor Adeniyi Olowofela has described the decision of the federal government to peg the minimum age for admission into tertiary institutions at 16 years as a welcome development.
Professor Olowofela who was Commissioner for Education in Oyo state during the tenure of former Governor Abiola Ajimobi said the new policy will further rekindle hope and confidence in the nation’s education system.
Reacting to the new policy on Tuesday in an interview with the Champion, the Professor of Physics argued that it is apt to reason on the development of children from the primary and secondary school levels and the maturity age before admission into tertiary institutions.
He added that the government has good reason to peg the minimum age for admission into tertiary institutions at 16 years especially taking into consideration the fact that some universities are already keying into the policy before the pronouncement.
” The government definitely has good reason for pegging the minimum age for admission into tertiary institutions at 16 years.
” When you look at the current 6-3-3-4 Education policy , a child will spend six years in primary school, then three years in junior secondary school, and another three years in senior secondary school. If you add up the years it will be 12 years .
” Thereafter, he will write JAMB, and by the time he is 16 years, he will be seeking admission into tertiary institutions. So, 16 years is very good for admission into universities. I think it is the best thing to do at this time, ” the former Commissioner for Education said.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has on Tuesday hinted that the federal government has pegged the minimum age for admission into tertiary institutions at 16 years.
According to Dr Alausa , the policy decision reflects a balance between cognitive maturity and academic preparedness. 16 years is non-negotiable.
Meanwhile, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has pegged the cut-off mark for admission into universities in Nigeria at 150.
This was announced on Tuesday at the ongoing 2025 Policy Meeting on Admissions.
It is taking place at the International Conference Centre in Abuja.
JAMB wrote on its X handle: “The minimum admissible scores for admissions for the next academic session have been fixed at 150 for universities, 100 for polytechnics, 100 for colleges of education, and 140 for colleges of nursing sciences by the stakeholders (Heads of Tertiary Institutions.
