The federal government of Nigeria has announced that candidates under the age of 18 will no longer be eligible to sit for secondary school leaving examinations, including those conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO).
This directive was communicated by the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, during his appearance on Channels TV’s Sunday Politics programme monitored by News Reporters.
Effective immediately, only candidates who have reached the age of 18 will be permitted to take the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE).
This move aims to strictly enforce the existing 18-year age requirement, which had previously been overlooked in some cases.
Mamman clarified the rationale behind this decision, stating, “It is 18 (years). What we did at the meeting that we had with JAMB (in July) was to allow this year and for it to serve as a kind of notice for parents that this year, JAMB will admit students who are below that age but from next year, JAMB is going to insist that anybody applying to go to university in Nigeria meets the required age which is 18.”
He emphasized that the policy is not a new one but rather a reinforcement of existing regulations.
“Even basically if you compute the number of years pupils, and learners are supposed to be in school, the number you will end up with is 17 and a half – from early child care to primary school to junior secondary school and then senior secondary school. You will end up with 17 and a half by the time they are ready for admission,” Mamman elaborated.
The minister also reiterated the age limit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), administered by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), affirming that candidates must be 18 years or older to be eligible.
“In any case, NECO and WAEC, henceforth will not be allowing underage children to write their examinations. In other words, if somebody has not spent the requisite number of years in that particular level of study, WAEC and NECO will not allow them to write the examination,” Mamman stated.
This decisive action by the Federal Government underscores its commitment to maintaining the integrity of the educational system and ensuring that students are adequately prepared before advancing to higher levels of education.
