The Minister has announced that candidates who are underage will not be permitted to take the NECO and WAEC examinations.


Education Minister Tahir Mamman has announced that candidates below the legal age will no longer be permitted to participate in secondary school leaving examinations.

This declaration was made during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics program.

He indicated that the Federal Government has directed the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), responsible for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), and the National Examinations Council (NECO), which conducts the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE), to enforce the new policy establishing an 18-year age requirement for eligibility in both examinations. Furthermore,

Mamman reaffirmed that the age threshold for candidates taking the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), administered by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), remains set at 18 years.

 

The minister said, “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.

“For the avoidance of doubt, this is not a new policy; this is a policy that has been there for a long time.

“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.

“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.”

The minister elaborated on the duration of education that students are anticipated to experience from early childhood through to senior secondary school.

He indicated that early childhood education is designed to span the initial five years. Students are expected to enter primary one at the age of six, complete six years in primary education, and transition to junior secondary school at the age of 12, where they will spend three years.

Following this, they will advance to senior secondary school at the age of 15, completing an additional three years before proceeding to university at the age of 18.