Attendees of the 2024 Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) policy meeting were taken aback by the announcement from the Minister of Education, Prof Mamman Tahir who addressed the age limit for admission into Nigerian universities.
He stated that prospective higher institution students must be 18 years old and above.
When Tahir made the announcement, the crowd voiced their dissent with a resounding “no, no, no,” but despite the massive objection, he maintained that it was an existing government policy, emphasising the expectation of greater maturity in 18-year-old candidates.
He directed those who disagreed to the National Assembly.
The JAMB policy meeting, an annual gathering of stakeholders from various tertiary institutions in the country, is where decisions are made regarding appropriate admission cut-off marks for the current academic year.
Previously, Tahir had criticised the premature enrollment of students in higher institutions and the negative influences they are exposed to due to their immature age.