Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, has barred students under the age of 18 from enrolling in higher educational institutions in the country.
The minister announced this on 18 July 2024 at the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) policy meeting in Abuja. Vice-chancellors, admissions officers, registrars and other stakeholders loudly protested the policy, forcing Mamman to stop his speech halfway.
The JAMB policy meeting is an annual event at which stakeholders from Nigerian tertiary institutions decide on appropriate cut-off marks for admissions.
As emotions continued to run high, the minister reconsidered his earlier stance by allowing the schools to admit candidates from age 16 for the current (2024) academic session because many of them had already sat for this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). He, however, said the age limit of 18 and older would be strictly implemented from the beginning of the 2025 academic year.
Students under 18 ‘too young’
During his visit to an UTME centre in April, the minister expressed concern that a large number of the candidates were between the ages of 15 and 16, saying: “They are too young to understand what university education is all about,” The Guardianreported.
Mamman said the Nigerian educational system requires a child to enrol in an elementary school at age six and spend six years before proceeding to a secondary school for another six years of learning.
“It is clear that a child who, as expected, is enrolled in basic school at the age of six and has undergone 12 years of education would be around 18 years old when enrolled in a tertiary institution … the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board is hereby instructed to admit only eligible students; those who have attained [the age of] 18. Universities are advised to avoid recommending unqualified children for admission.
“Information has revealed that the enrolment of under-age candidates is inflicting serious damage on the university and the education system, hence the need for the enforcement of extant rules,” Mamman said.
Shortly after the minister’s directive, JAMB, which conducts examinations for entrance to universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, posted on X (formerly Twitter) that “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 as from [the] next academic year.”
Student union rejects age limit
But the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) told University World News the minister’s decision undermines the individual differences in intellectual and academic capacities of students who may finish their secondary school education before they turn 18.
“This blanket ban is totally unacceptable to the student bodies. Declaring such a far-reaching decision without robust stakeholder engagement and legislative support undermines the democratic process and inclusivity in policymaking,” NANS President, Pedro Obi, said.
He said that, in many countries, higher education admissions are based on the academic merit and readiness of the students rather than their age, noting that the government’s decision could place Nigerian students at a disadvantage globally.
“NANS is saying no to the plans by the federal government to set the minimum age for admission of students into higher institutions at 18; it is unfriendly, unjust and not equitable,” Obi added.
Policy: Pros and cons
Several academics observe that, although the minister means well, the policy exhibits a hard-line approach. Professor Hassan Ibrahim, a former director of quality assurance at the Federal University, Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State, said it could deprive some students of reaching their full potential on time.
He said: “The policy has its pros and cons. If you’re saying students who are naturally talented and are fast learners, should not go to universities until they are 18, you are discouraging them from reaching their maximum potential. If you allow such students to go to universities early, it means they can finish their first degree on time, and go for their masters and PhD before they are 30. They can then begin to contribute to the development of the country, and that is what we need: young brains.”
Ibrahim admitted that some students might be intelligent but lack the emotional maturity to live an independent life outside their homes. They can be manipulated easily into crime at that tender age because the university is a large community. If there is provision for proper guidance and counselling, however, a child can be in university at 16 and do well. “But, if the government is bent on enforcing the age limit, it should start [the enforcement] right from elementary school enrolment.”
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