The policy will affect universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and other higher institutions.
The President Bola Tinubu-led government has bowed to pressure from Nigerians against the government’s decision banning tertiary institutions in the country from admitting prospective students under the age of 18.
The Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, announced the reversal of the 18 years tertiary institution admission benchmark on Thursday during the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) 2024 policy meeting.
Mamman announced the reversal following objections from education stakeholders including institution heads, registrars and admission officers.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that Mamman earlier at the JAMB policy meeting declared the ban on admission for candidates under the age of 18 into tertiary institutions across the country.
The minister said that the 18-year benchmark is in line with the 6-3-3-4 system of education, but noted that the Ministry of Education is extending skills training to primary school pupils who may not secure admission into tertiary institutions.
The policy will affect universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and other higher institutions.
However, education stakeholders including institution heads, registrars and admission officers at the meeting raised an objection to the government’s decision on the admission age benchmark and appealed to the government to reconsider its decision.
Acknowledging the stakeholders' concerns, Mamman said that current laws mandate entry into tertiary institutions at 18 years old, following twelve years of primary and secondary education but agreed that candidates aged 16 and above would be eligible for admission this year.
He however stressed that from 2025, the 18 years admission into tertiary institution benchmark will take full effect.
JAMB subsequently confirmed the minister’s decision in a post on its X platform account, stating that candidates aged 16 and older would indeed be considered for admission in 2024.
“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.