Stakeholders reject proposal to raise university, polytechnic admission age to 18 years

Participants at the 2024 Joint Admissions Matriculation Board’s (JAMB) policy meeting on education in Abuja have voiced a strong objection to the proposed minimum age of 18 years for admission into the nation’s tertiary institutions.

No sooner than the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, made the announcement, a chorus of disapproval erupted from the stakeholders.

The stakeholders comprise representatives from various tertiary institutions across the country.

However, the cacophony of dissent thwarted the minister’s attempt to continue his speech, prompting him to ask, “Are we on the same page?”

But the stakeholders’ emphatic response was a unanimous ‘No!’.

Despite the uproar, the minister remained composed and proceeded to explain the rationale behind setting the new admission benchmark at 18 years.

However, the meeting’s order was not restored until Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, the Registrar of JAMB, intervened.

The policy meeting on education is an annual event.