By FG: Candidates Under 18 Years Will No Longer Be Allowed to Take WAEC, NECO Exams
The Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, has declared that students below the age of 18 will no longer be eligible to sit for secondary school leaving examinations in Nigeria.
This policy, aimed at reinforcing the existing 18-year age requirement, was announced during Mamman’s appearance on Channels TV’s Sunday Politics program.
Mamman revealed that the Federal Government has directed the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) to adhere to this directive. As a result, only students who are 18 years or older will be permitted to take the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE), effective immediately.
Additionally, the minister reiterated the age requirement for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), emphasizing that candidates must also be at least 18 years old to qualify.
Mamman clarified, ““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,” Mamman explained.
He emphasized that this is not a new policy but rather a reminder of existing regulations.
“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 said.
“So, we are not coming up with new policy contrary to what some people are saying; we are just simply reminding people of what is existing.
“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,” Mamman added.
