JAMB Enforces Age Requirement, Says Candidates Must Be 16 at Time of Admission

JAMB has mandated that only candidates who are at least sixteen years old at the time of admission will be eligible for university entrance, amid rising concerns over falsified age declarations and fraudulent admissions practices.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has expressed concern over the increasing number of falsified age declarations on NIN slips submitted by candidates, highlighting a troubling trend of underage applicants altering their ages to gain university admission.

JAMB has now firmly stated that only candidates who are at least sixteen years old at the time of admission will be considered eligible.

This directive, issued by the board’s spokesperson Fabian Benjamin and backed by Prof. Tahir Mamman, the Minister of Education and Chairman of the 2024 tertiary admission policy meeting, emphasizes that the existing 6-3-3-4 education policy will only be fully enforced starting from the 2025 academic session.

The statement further revealed concerns about institutions and candidates colluding to falsify entry dates and ages to manipulate records, enabling the use of legitimate certificates with similar names for fraudulent admissions and participation in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme.

READ ALSO: JAMB Warns Parents Against Falsifying Wards’ Ages for Admission

SOURCES: ALLSCHOOL, DAILY POST