The Federal Government has announced that individuals under the age of 18 will no longer be allowed to participate in the National Examinations Council and West African Examinations Council exams.
The Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, made this announcement during an appearance on Channels Television’s ‘Sunday Politics’ program.
He explained that the government has directed both NECO, which conducts the Senior School Certificate Examination, and WAEC, which administers the West African Senior School Certificate Examination, to enforce the 18-year age limit for all candidates.
“It is 18 years,” Professor Mamman stated, emphasizing that this directive is not a new policy but rather a reminder of an existing rule. He also pointed out that the age limit for candidates taking the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, organized by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, remains 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 explained.
Professor Mamman further clarified that this policy has been in place for a long time, noting, “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.”
He also addressed the misconceptions surrounding the age limit, saying, “We are not coming up with a new policy contrary to what some people are saying; we are just simply reminding people of what is existing.”
As a result, NECO and WAEC will no longer allow underage students to write their exams. “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,” the minister stated.
This decision is aimed at ensuring that students are of the appropriate age when they sit for these important exams, aligning with the education system’s intended progression.
