The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has announced that the Federal Government has set 16 years as the minimum age for admission into tertiary institutions.
He made this known in Abuja on Tuesday during the 2025 policy meeting of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
”This policy decision reflects a balance between cognitive maturity and academic preparedness. 16 years is non-negotiable,” he said.
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Dr. Alausa explained that exceptions to the age requirement would be allowed only in well-documented cases, such as exceptionally gifted children who have advanced quickly through their education.
He cautioned institutions against attempting to bypass the rule by falsifying age records, warning that such violations would result in penalties.
The minister also introduced new strategies to tackle examination malpractice, describing it as a “cancer” that undermines merit and weakens public trust in Nigeria’s education system.
As part of these efforts, he announced the creation of a Central Examination Malpractice Unit within the Federal Ministry of Education.
This unit, to be led by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Abel Enitan, will act as a national hub for tracking, documenting, and reporting malpractice cases across all educational levels.
”This central database will be accessible to all institutions. It is our hope that this will reduce the tendency to engage in malpractices, as offenders will be appropriately tried under the Exam Malpractices Act,” the minister said.
He also affirmed the government’s backing for WAEC and NECO to transition to computer-based testing as a measure to reduce examination malpractice.
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