The Federal Government has announced that underage candidates will no longer be allowed to sit for secondary school leaving examinations administered by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO).
The new enforcement will require candidates to be at least 18 years old to take the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE).
This declaration was made by the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, during an appearance on Channels Television’s ‘Sunday Politics’ program on Sunday night.
Prof. Mamman emphasized that this is not a new policy but a reinforcement of existing regulations.
“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,” Prof. Mamman explained.
The minister further clarified that the age limit aligns with the expected timeline for students progressing through Nigeria’s educational system.
“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.”
Prof. Mamman reiterated that this policy is simply a reminder of existing regulations, not a new development.
“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.”
He also confirmed that the age limit for candidates taking the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), administered by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), will continue to be set at 18 years.