The Federal Government has announced that underage candidates will no longer be permitted to sit for the secondary school leaving examinations administered by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO).
Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, made this declaration during an appearance on Channels Television’s ‘Sunday Politics’ programme. He emphasized that both WAEC and NECO must now enforce an 18-year age limit for candidates taking the WASSCE and SSCE exams, respectively.
Prof. Mamman clarified that this is not a new policy but a reinforcement of existing regulations. “It is 18 (years),” he stated.
“What we did at the meeting with JAMB (in July) was to allow this year to serve as a notice for parents. This year, JAMB will admit students below that age, but from next year, JAMB will insist that anyone applying to university in Nigeria meets the required age, which is 18.”
The minister further explained that this policy aligns with the standard educational timeline, where students typically reach 17 and a half years by the time they are ready for university admission. “We are not introducing a new policy,” he added.
“We are simply reminding people of what has long existed. Henceforth, NECO and WAEC will not allow underage children to write their examinations.”
Additionally, Prof. Mamman reaffirmed that the age limit for candidates taking the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), administered by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), remains set at 18 years.
